


a thousand words

by NovaCaelum



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Explicit Language, Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Slow Burn, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-04-05 19:50:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19047199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaCaelum/pseuds/NovaCaelum
Summary: Hajime never thought Tōru's voice could be so soothing as he spoke, "Hajime, it's always been us. You've always been the one for me." And it felt like fireworks exploding in his chest, all the puzzle pieces seemed to fall into place. He feltwhole...





	1. changes

**Author's Note:**

> I've only wrote for this pairing/fandom twice before and only one-shots, this is my first chapter story. So I'm just hoping this is good, lol.
> 
> Rating for strong language; will also likely to go up to E.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As graduation approaches, two best friends come to realise what going to different universities means.

Iwaizumi would never admit that Oikawa was his best friend, even despite how long they had known each other. He would say that Oikawa was a pain in his side and the only time that felt any different was on the volleyball court; being lost in the game meant that Oikawa didn't have girls flocking around him and he wasn't giving out fake smiles that made Iwaizumi grit his teeth.

But volleyball was gone now, Karasuno had beaten them. As third years, it meant that they had to focus on their exams and think of university; Iwaizumi had already got his confirmed. As per usual, Oikawa seemed to be slacking when it came to university; Oikawa seemed happy still helping around the volleyball club. So was Iwaizumi, he missed playing and in their moment of defeat against Karasuno, Oikawa was the one who kept him levelled.

Iwaizumi was just enjoying his lunch when he heard Oikawa's voice, "Iwa-chan!" He barely even flinched, he was used to this by now and even as Oikawa sat in the chair across from him, he didn't move, "I got accepted!" He handed over a piece of paper; Iwaizumi rose a brow but took it and read what it had said. Once the words: _Ohu University_ , processed in his head, his heart sunk into his stomach.

"I guess even you can manage to get into university," He handed the letter back, not even certain of how those words had left his mouth, "You still need to pass exams, make sure you're studying enough."

Oikawa took the letter back with a smile, "Of course I am! Don't you have faith in me, Iwa-chan?"

"If you say so," Iwaizumi closed his bento box, his appetite gone now; this would be the first time that Oikawa wasn't by his side, "I'm going to the library. Have something to eat, I'll see you later."

"Walk home with me, Iwa-chan!" Iwaizumi waved a hand in response then disappeared from the cafeteria; Oikawa felt confused, even when Iwaizumi was blunt with him before, he'd never just walked away like that before. Maybe he was just stressed by exams.

* * *

Iwaizumi didn't head straight to the library, he went into the bathroom to splash some water on his face; he felt like an idiot. Of course Oikawa wasn't going to be beside him forever; he he felt like he should be grateful for it. It would mean Oikawa wouldn't always be chirping down his ear.

Anyway, their universities weren't exactly across the country, so Oikawa would probably visit all the time. Nothing would change that much, he just wouldn't see Oikawa in the halls, or for lunch. Iwaizumi's stomach lurched, he couldn't understand why this was bothering him so much; of course Oikawa is his best-friend, even if he wouldn't admit it out loud...But this feeling was deeper, something else entirely.

Iwaizumi shook his head, resolved a little more, he dried his face and headed to the library. He still had time to study before class began, maybe at least get started and he could finish tonight when he got home.

After what felt like an eternity of being at school, Oikawa waited patiently outside the school gate at the end of the day, he hadn't seen Iwaizumi yet and he doubted he had slipped past. When he saw Iwaizumi, a smile spread across his face, "Over here, Iwa-chan!" Iwaizumi rolled his eyes but headed over to Oikawa, he'd been hoping that Oikawa had forgotten about walking home together, "Can you help me study?"

"I guess, come on," Iwaizumi began walking, knowing that Oikawa would be trailing behind him; they reached Iwaizumi's house and he let them in, his parents were still at work. He walked into the kitchen, still aware of Oikawa following him; he made them both a drink and handed one to Oikawa, "What are you struggling with?"

Iwaizumi led them back into the lounge and they sat together on the sofa; Oikawa smiled, having a sip of his drink before speaking, "Thanks for this," He pulled out his English books, "I can't get a hang on this part," He flipped through his book, finding the spot he needed and pointing it out to Iwaizumi, "These words are confusing me."

"Okay," Iwaizumi looked at the main ones which Oikawa had highlighted, what they had told would most likely appear on the test, " _Diligent_ ", he read the word slowly for Oikawa, "Do you know what it means?"

Oikawa nodded, "To show care. It's the spelling I'm struggling with and some of my pronunciation is off."

"We can go through them, one by one. And, it might help to write the word out how it's pronounced to practice," Iwaizumi wrote, _dil-li-gent_ under the word, and showed it to Oikawa, "Like this. It might help with spelling too."

Oikawa understood now, Iwaizumi made it look easy; they went through the words that were likely to appear on the test one-by-one. After a couple of hours, Oikawa's stomach rumbled, "Oh! I should go home," He looked at his watch, "It's getting late. Shouldn't your parents be home soon too?"

"Uh, yeah," Iwaizumi checked the clock, "Maybe about ten minutes, you could stay and have food here."

Oikawa shook his head, beginning to pack his things away, "My mom will start worrying about me. Maybe some other time?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow then." Oikawa nodded; Iwaizumi saw him out and once the door was closed, he pressed his head against the wood, taking a deep breath. He returned to his spot on the couch and put the t.v on, waiting patiently for his parents to return home.

* * *

Oikawa realised, as he and Iwaizumi studied together in the library, that Iwaizumi hadn't said which university he was going to; he yawned, resting back in his chair, "Iwa-chan!" He pouted, getting his friends attention, "You didn't show me your acceptance letter. You definitely got in."

"Yeah, it slipped my mind. I got into Tohoku."

Oikawa snapped back, he eyed up Iwaizumi who was still busy making notes; his heart sunk, there was quite a distance between their universities, of course they could travel and Oikawa had his mind set on getting a car, so he could always visit. It would still be strange, they'd always been together throughout school and now, he wouldn't have Iwaizumi to stick by him, "Congratulations Iwa-chan!"

"Thanks."

"Iwa-chan, I'll be able to visit you."

"Shittykawa," Iwaizumi grumbled, glaring up at him, "You're supposed to be working, not slacking off."

Oikawa sighed, pouting at Iwaizumi, "I'm tired, I can work hard tomorrow and I can work hard at university."

"Good, if you get kicked out, I'll kill you," Regardless of what he thought, Iwaizumi began packing away; they'd had a study period at the end of the day so they'd already been sitting in the library for nearly two hours, "Come on," Oikawa happily grabbed his things, shoved them into his bag and they were soon leaving, "Have you been thinking about it much?"

"What?" Oikawa had been so lost in his thoughts that Iwaizumi's question had taken him off guard a little, "Oh. Well, I'm looking forward to learning more and moving out. How about you Iwa-chan? We're finally splitting up, you can get rid of me!"

Iwaizumi could hear the usual lightness in Oikawa's voice, but somehow, to Iwaizumi it sounded strained-- _hurt_. It didn't sit well with Iwaizumi either, those words made him feel wrong, he'd never intended for Oikawa to think he wanted something like this...Not with how he felt, something which he'd always argued with himself over, the realisation of it, had really hit him when he'd found out they'd be separated, "Don't be stupid, Shittykawa. How am I ever going to find someone as relentlessly annoying as you?"

Oikawa grinned, even with Iwaizumi's choice of words, he knew they were soft and joking, as if Iwaizumi had said: _I'll miss you_. It made Oikawa fill with joy, his heart swelled in his chest and he couldn't have been happier knowing that Iwaizumi would truly miss him, "Well of course not! There's only one of me, Iwa-chan, I'm irreplaceable." Oikawa barely caught sight of the small smile on Iwaizumi's face but it made him feel invincible for a moment; they finished the walk home in silence but it didn't feel awkward in the least.

When they said their goodbyes for the night; Iwaizumi tried to keep his faith strong, he knew Oikawa well enough to be sure that Oikawa would make time for visits, but university was going to be different, more work to do and, Oikawa would make new friends. Iwaizumi had been so reliant on Oikawa, probably without Oikawa knowing; when they'd lost to Karasuno and Oikawa gave him the energy to avoid self-blame. After all, they were a team and it was something they had to face together.

Oikawa had always been the one to hold Iwaizumi together, even through his own tough times; when Oikawa's knee gave way, Iwaizumi had tried to keep Oikawa from falling apart but it was Oikawa who helped him, he watched the way he fought back in order to play volleyball. For a moment, Iwaizumi thought Oikawa would break, with the weight of keeping Iwaizumi afloat and volleyball practice; yet, Oikawa had survived and Iwaizumi realised his true strength, the ability to never give up.

So maybe, university would surprise Iwaizumi and Oikawa would keep that determination no matter what; Iwaizumi kept faith that nothing would ever deter Oikawa from something he believed in, and if he believed in keeping their friendship even while being apart, then he would truly make sure of that.


	2. to new beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graduation arrives, but are they both ready for Oikawa's departure?

Exams went as well as Iwaizumi could have hoped, Oikawa seemed happy with his results too, and thanked Iwaizumi for his help with studying; their leaving ceremony had made Iwaizumi feel a little emotional, the thought of being separated hit him hard...Harder than he'd ever thought possible, he felt a little better when they made plans to go out and have a fun night. It wouldn't be long until they would be moving for university and Iwaizumi felt grateful to be spending a night all together, so everyone headed home first to get and Iwaizumi had just finished getting changed when a knock came at his door; Oikawa was stood there with a grin on his face, "Iwa-chan!" Iwaizumi didn't budge form his spot when Oikawa ran in to hug him, "I'm so glad you're coming tonight, I really expected you to be staying home and packing."

"I was invited, of course I'll go," Iwaizumi pried Oikawa from him and took a step back, "Besides, some people are moving further away, this could be the last chance we have to spend time together."

"Iwa-chan! You do love us!" Oikawa smiled and Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, "Makki and Mattsun will be waiting for us. We should head out."

Iwaizumi chuckled, but ushered them out anyway and locked the door behind them, "Everyone is used to you being late."

"Hey! It takes a lot to look this good. You wouldn't know anything about that," Iwaizumi punched Oikawa in the arm, smiling and shaking his head when Oikawa rubbed the spot and pouted, "So mean," Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes in response to Oikawa, they reached the ramen shop, where they met Matsukawa and Hanamaki who had already picked out a table, "Mattsun! Iwa-chan is being mean to me."

"Isn't that normal?" Hanamaki spoke up, grinning at Oikawa who slumped into a chair; Matsukawa chuckled and Iwaizumi got comfortable too, "Oikawa, when are you moving?"

"This weekend. Iwa-chan said he's going to see me off because he'll miss me too much!"

"You wish," Hanamaki and Matsukawa shared a fond look, this was one thing they were going to miss when they all left for university, "I have to get ready to move too."

"Then I guess today will be our goodbye," Oikawa sounded sad and it made Iwaizumi feel like his throat had grown tighter and a sombre feeling seemed to fill the air; even Hanamaki and Matsukawa seemed to have settled into their chairs, as if defeated, "Well, I'm sure we'll all have fun at university! We should all meet up around Christmas time."

"Yeah." Hanamaki smiled, mostly to try and lighten the mood a little; they ordered food and settled into a conversation about volleyball. Iwaizumi couldn't help but still feel a little sick, the reminder of how imminent Oikawa's departure was hadn't helped, and it made him feel a little lonely; he pushed aside the feeling to focus on the conversation. When food arrived, it helped to distract him a little but he couldn't escape the look Matsukawa was throwing him from time to time.

Iwaizumi wouldn't admit how much he was going miss Oikawa...Or how he realised what his true feelings were for Oikawa. It was silly, something he was avoiding facing, because he didn't stand a chance and Oikawa would leave anyway. It **would** go away. _He hoped it would_.

The time in the ramen shop didn't seem to last as long as the group had hoped, and they were soon saying goodbyes for the night; Matsukawa pulled Iwaizumi aside while Hanamaki spoke with Oikawa about all the _cute girls_ they would meet at university, "You don't look very happy."

"He's...He's my closest friend," Iwaizumi sighed softly, "I've known him for so long, our mom's say he always followed me around. Now it's going to be different, we're really splitting up...I'm not sure I've really adjusted to the idea."

Matsukawa smiled, although he had a feeling something else was bothering Iwaizumi but he doubted that he would get the truth; so he just nodded his head and left with Hanamaki, Oikawa joined Iwaizumi with a grin, "What was that about?"

"Nothing. Come on, we should head home now." Oikawa rose a brow, but he kept silent and they walked home together, going their separate ways at the usual spot. Iwaizumi stopped near a wall, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath; his stomach wouldn't seem to stop rocking, the only thing in his mind was Oikawa leaving. He knew it wasn't forever and Oikawa wasn't exactly moving half-way around the world; Iwaizumi repeated a mantra in his head, _it's only two hours away. only two hours. you'll be fine_. And sometimes, for half a second, he believed it.

* * *

When the weekend arrived, Oikawa slowly packed boxes into the back of his mom's car, trying not to think about how much he wanted Iwaizumi to be there...To say goodbye properly. He'd spent most of the morning getting half-smothered by his mom and then he'd taken his time to finish packing the rest of his clothes; he'd been hoping Iwaizumi would show, if he'd just wait a moment longer, take an extra second to triple-check that he had everything.

A box slid in besides the one he was placing, joined by a voice that made Oikawa's heart jump into his throat, "Shittykawa, how to you expect to get anything done like this?"

"Iwa-chan! You came," He spun around, pulling Iwaizumi into a hug; who kept trying to push him away, grumbling obscenities, "You have such a foul mouth," Oikawa sighed, dropping his arms in defeat, "That was the last one."

His voice was muted compared to normal and the sadness lacing his words made Iwaizumi swallow, "Idiot," He pulled Oikawa into his arms, holding him as he whimpered softly, "Come on, you're not a kid. We were never going to be in the same school forever."

"I know. But I'll miss you Iwa-chan," Oikawa didn't care about keeping his dignity; he was moving, to a new city...Two hours away, "Can you call at least once a week?"

"When I have the time," Seeing Oikawa so upset had made Iwaizumi feel mellow and he wanted to say a _real_ goodbye without any snarky jokes or teasing, "You can call or text if you need anything," Oikawa nodded, he'd calmed down now; being in Iwaizumi's arms made him feel safe and like it would last forever...Even if he knew otherwise, "Take care of yourself. I know what you're like, don't do dumb shit, or I'll come there to personally kick your ass," Even though Iwaizumi had wanted to be serious in this moment, the words had come out so easily and when Oikawa laughed in response, his breath hitched; along with his heart jumping wildly in his chest, "Goodbye, Oikawa. Make sure to visit when you can."

Oikawa smiled, hidden in Iwaizumi's embrace; he felt worn out all of a sudden, like Iwaizumi had drained all his strength with those simple words, "Yeah...I will," Their embrace broke. Oikawa itched to reach out and grab Iwaizumi's hand; thread their fingers together, be honest about how he felt. But none of it came and he tried a small smile as his mom reached the car, "Bye, Hajime."

"Come on Tōru, it's time to go," Oikawa closed the trunk of the car then slowly clambered into the car, "Don't worry about him too much Hajime, I've made sure he's prepared." All Iwaizumi could do was nod, he stepped to the side and waved off the car as Oikawa's mom drove off; even after it faded beyond the street, Iwaizumi kept praying it was some sort of joke, that Oikawa would come back, to a place at a university that was closer.

He hung his head, taking a deep breath as Oikawa's words ran through his brain, _"Bye, Hajime."_ They rarely used given names since they'd been in junior high together, it had always been silly nicknames...Which Iwaizumi had initially thought was annoying; but now, he missed it almost as much as he missed seeing Oikawa's face. He trudged his way home, needing to get ready for moving his stuff to his awaiting dorm; the walk felt far too weighted and he felt very alone...


	3. spring blooms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa joins a volleyball team and meets a girl.

Moving into a dorm had been more challenging that what Iwaizumi had expected, the bustle of other students had made him almost fall over one time too many; he imagine Oikawa had experienced the same thing and could imagine him flat on his ass, pouting. Despite the chaos, he'd found his room and dropped two boxes at the base of his bed, his dad joined him carrying more, along with his cousin who had been roped into the task by his mom, "It looks nice."

"Make sure to make friends, Hajime," He nodded at his dad's words, trying not to roll his eyes, "We'll let you get settled in, call your mom later."

"Of course. Bye." They left him in the silence of the room, he'd already propped the door open with the desk chair; he decided to begin unpacking and if any of the people in the same dorm passed by, they could just poke their head in to say hello. Iwaizumi started with the bed first, wanting to make it look as inviting and comfortable as possible; he knew that after a long day, he'd appreciate the sight, just to relax.

He started putting up some pictures when a knock at the door grabbed his attention, "Hey, sorry to bother you. I just thought I'd introduce myself."

"It's no problem, I left the door open for a reason," He smiled softly, bowing to the timid girl, "I'm Iwaizumi Hajime, it's nice to meet you."

She bowed in return and smiled softly, "I'm Mori Ayame. I hope that we get on." He nodded at her words then after a small wave, she disappeared from his sight; he finished what he was doing then placed the boxes in the gap beside his wardrobe. He grabbed the one left on his desk, filled with things for the kitchen then pushed the chair aside and headed along to the common room; two other people were already in there, picking a cupboard and a spot in one of the fridges.

Iwaizumi bowed to them, which they returned; then set to putting his own things away in a cupboard at the end and a couple of bento-boxes into the fridge; along with a small carton of milk, some bread and butter. He then introduced himself to the girl and boy in the kitchen, who introduced themselves as Fujoka Aya and Kimura Rioichi. One more girl appeared too, they all made quick introductions while she made tea; Aikyama Kaoru, as Iwaizumi learned, he assumed she had arrived first having already plucked a cup from a cupboard. Mori joined them too and they all made small conversation about their studies and their previous high school; the girls had shown interest in Iwaizumi's volleyball stories and Kimura more in his training techniques.

They'd all eventually moved over to the lounge area, watching a little tv before heading back to their rooms for the night; Iwaizumi got settled in front of his laptop and moments after it kicked to life, he received a Discord call request from Oikawa. He waited a few seconds to answer, not wanting to seem too eager to be seeing his face again, _"Iwa-chan! What's it like? I love your room."_

"It's nice, there's four other people staying here, three girls and a boy."

 _"How lucky. There's five other people in my dorm, three boys and two girls,"_ Oikawa rattled off their names, starting with the boys; Ikeda Noburu, Tachibana Itsuki and Saitou Kichiro. And then the girls followed; Nakahara Akio and Minami Yuuko. Even though Iwaizumi payed attention, he just felt happy to hear Oikawa's voice and see his face again, so Iwaizumi told Oikawa the names of the people living with him in return. Oikawa smiled far too brightly and Iwaizumi's heart jumped, then seemed to wither at the reminder of the distance between them, _"When you get the chance, you'll have to take pictures of the dorm. It's lovely here, I'll send you photos tomorrow after class. Are you going to try-out for the volleyball team?"_

"No, I want to stay focused on my studies. I'm going to apply for a job while I'm here too."

_"That's a shame, they'd be lucky to have you. I think I might try-out, I want a job too though and I know you'll come here to personally kill me if I over work myself. I'll just see what it's like, they probably wouldn't want someone like me on the team anyway."_

"You're already past university level, you should try-out. But you're right, if I notice you're fatigued, I'll kick you off the team."

_"Well, you were only the vice captain during school! You don't have that authority."_

"I'm giving myself it," Iwaizumi folded his arms, staring down Oikawa; of course, he'd always been captain and he'd held the team together better than most could, still, Iwaizumi had managed to find a way of telling Oikawa what to do, "We should go, it's getting late."

 _"Yeah, you're right. Don't forget to text me during the week! I'll be waiting,"_ Iwaizumi waved off the remark, but found himself smiling, _"Goodnight Iwa-chan! Try not to miss me too much."_

"As if I would. Night." He ended the call before Oikawa had a chance to retort; then he turned off his laptop and got ready for the night. The last thing on Iwaizumi's mind, as his head hit the pillow, was Oikawa's silly smile and how it sent every part of him into overdrive.

* * *

Oikawa's first day had been a little exhausting, the girls who flocked him just made him feel lonely; he went to the volleyball try-outs and after a few serves, the manager was at his side, begging him to join, "We could really use a strong server like you!"

"I'm a setter."

"We can try that out, with one of our spikers! Please. Oikawa, right? Help us," He finally gave her his full attention and he couldn't help but feel a little blown back by how cute she was; still nothing compared to Iwaizumi, not that it was a road worth following. He'd learned that a long time ago, "I'm Hayashi Miyu, it's a pleasure to meet you," Her bow actually made him flustered for a moment and he awkwardly returned it, "Please join!"

She bowed low, clutching tightly to her clipboard, "I'll set for one of your spikers first. I need to know how good they are."

"Of course," She straightened up, a bright smile lighting up her face, "I'll get one of them and shout you when we're ready," Then, she ran off, to the bench where the current players were watching try-outs. Oikawa kept thinking about how he could date someone like that and probably be content, there really was no use for pining over Iwaizumi anyway; they were so far apart, it wouldn't be long until Iwaizumi found someone too and ended up even further from Oikawa's grasp. He knew he had no right; no right to do this to Hayashi or Iwaizumi, but he needed a way to forget, otherwise he'd always be unhappy. He turned when Hayashi called his name; he quickly went to join her and greeted the spiker with a bow, "This is Tsukuda Juuro, he's agreed to do some spikes with you."

"Thank you." They headed onto the court; Oikawa set a few balls, slowly finding the right spot for Tsukuda to easily slam balls past the blockers. It felt nice, but Oikawa missed being able to do this with Iwaizumi; Tsukuda reminded him a little of Iwaizumi, except his demeanour was more similar to Aone from Datekou.

After going through a good amount of sets, both Hayashi and Tsukuda pulled him to the side; she wasn't shy with begging for help whereas Tsukuda was more to the point, "Oikawa, Hayashi is right. Our team will need someone like you. You have a great serve and you easily match sets to me, you can adjust to the other spikers too."

"Who's the ace?"

"Fuki," Tsukuda pointed to one of the boys sat on the bench; he seemed tall, he had dark black hair, with a similar style to his own, "Will you be able to work with him?"

"Yes. I'll join the team then, if you want me."

"Yes!" Hayashi smiled, grasping his hand, "Thank you Oikawa, we appreciate it."

He nodded slowly, taking back his had when she realised what she was doing and blushed bright pink, "Our first real practice will be on Friday night. It gives everyone time to make sure they're free."

"Sure. I'm going to head off, see you later," They both nodding, bidding him goodbye; Oikawa quickly got changed then headed back to his dorm, once showered, he made himself comfortable in front of his laptop and called Iwaizumi, who he was glad to see was online, "Hey Iwa-chan! I joined the team, they seem nice. The manager is really cute too!"

_"I'm glad you joined. I checked out the team here but the setter wasn't as good as you. I need someone who can read me."_

"You know only I can do that! I haven't set for the ace yet, but the wing spiker I played with today is good. Nothing compared to you Iwa-chan."

_"You're getting soft."_

"Hey! You said it first, I was just agreeing. You can ask Makki and Mattsun too, they know we're a good pair when we get on the court together."

_"You're more focused on court. Even if you decide to pose for some girls sometimes. When it's an important match, you're already aiming for the finishing line before we even start."_

"My standards are pretty high. But it's because I knew I had a trustworthy team, one capable of winning, and a decent ace."

 _"Decent?"_ Oikawa laughed when Iwaizumi glared at him, _"Do you need a reminder?"_

"No. Maybe in a year when you've successfully slacked off and you're not as good."

_"I won't let that happen, even if I'm not on a team."_

"Good! I always knew you were dependable Iwa-chan," Oikawa had the sudden urge to sling his arms around Iwaizumi's neck, maybe annoy him a little; he wished he could, and he hated that he didn't know how to get over his feelings. Not even someone cute and reliable like Hayashi would change him; still, he wanted to try and he knew he was being selfish, just to push past this part of his life, "We could open up a training academy together after university, bring some kids in. They can learn about the great Oikawa!"

 _"Oh, I'm sure they'd love that,"_ Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and Oikawa just grinned in response, _"I don't want to deal with little brats. You're more than enough."_

Oikawa pouted, slouching into his chair, "So mean, even when I've been nice to you," The time caught his eye and he found himself sighing, "I need to go. I have an early class."

_"Okay. Goodnight."_

"Goodnight." He ended the call and turned off the laptop; it was far too late, but he felt happy just being able to chat with Iwaizumi. It had settled him a little, he found it easy to get changed and snuggle under the covers; his thoughts felt a little clearer too, settled on the decision of allowing university to serve as a stepping stone forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The team is as follows:
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> (Captain/Wing Spiker) Tsukuda Juuro.  
> (Wing Spiker/Ace) Fuki Arata.  
> (Middle Blocker) Inoue Hayate.  
> (Wing Spiker) Yoshika Daiki.  
> (Libero) Katou Masashi.
> 
> Of course there is substitutes, I just felt like it was more important to get the main line-up listed; with Oikawa as the Setter.


	4. falling away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi tries to hold himself together as Oikawa's relationship with Hayashi grows.

Iwaizumi hadn't found it hard to make friends; some he'd known from the other high schools in the area, even ones who he'd saw at volleyball tournaments. A few kept trying to get him onto the university team, but it just hadn't felt right without Oikawa there; of course he hadn't told Oikawa that, or let on that it could possibly be anything other than the setter not matching him well enough. That was far from the truth, in fact, the setter had been great. Even Sugawara had ended up in the same university; Iwaizumi had fit easily into his sets, after a few he got them down perfectly too. Scarily close to Oikawa's in fact, which he'd put down to Karasuno watching their games in preparation for facing them; still, despite how perfect it was, the set was never the problem...It was the person. It wasn't Oikawa, no-one could replace him, and when no snarky remarks came if he missed a ball, he was lost. It felt too awkward hearing: _sorry, do you want to try that again?_

Iwaizumi hated it. He wanted to have Oikawa back by his side, he knew it was incredibly selfish; Oikawa never said anything bad about his school and truly seemed to love being there. He'd made friends too, with the people living in his dorm, the guys on the volleyball team...The manager for said team, who seemed to have worked herself perfectly into Oikawa's life; Oikawa hadn't stopped talking about her, Iwaizumi knew all the specifics of how she'd so shyly asked Oikawa on a date, one time after practice.

The weekend was one of the few times they spent most of the day talking and all Iwaizumi had received on that day was a quick: _going on my date!_ and later, _I had a great day, she's amazing. I'll tell you about it tomorrow._ Oikawa had kept true to his word too.When they'd had a Discord call on the Sunday, Oikawa ran over every detail of what they did during the day; Iwaizumi had put on a smile, told him how glad he was that one girl had finally stopped him talking about 'his fan club' and Oikawa smiled, one that simultaneously made his heart soar then shatter into a thousand pieces.

Iwaizumi didn't want to be selfish though, so he kept a lid on his feelings and supported Oikawa; university kept him busy enough that he didn't spend a lot of time thinking about how things might be different... _Might have been_. Not that, even if he had told Oikawa, nothing would be different; Iwaizumi knew Oikawa well enough to know that their relationship didn't stretch beyond friendship. Sometimes, he had to remind himself that it was enough; that it wasn't killing him knowing that Oikawa seemed to be settled down.

* * *

Oikawa had found it hard to push aside his feelings for Iwaizumi; he was his usual self, his dorm friends and the volleyball team had come to adjust to his personality too. Hayashi had taken an interest, Oikawa focused a lot on her eyes, how eerily similar they were to Iwaizumi's; but one day, he found himself truly enjoying her company, when they'd ran into each other at the library and sat together to do some studying. He'd taken her on a date, when she'd asked (something he'd gotten used to), and Oikawa found that she wasn't anything like the girls who usually followed him around. She was interested in him, what he plans were after university, anything else he enjoyed beside volleyball; and while Oikawa loved Iwaizumi, something he wasn't sure would go away in an instant, he'd found himself growing closer to Hayashi.

She was definitely something special and the more time they spent together, he began to pay attention to more than just her eyes; she was a polar opposite of Iwaizumi, but still nothing like Oikawa. Even the times where Hayashi's energy could out-do Oikawa, she poured it into the team and her studies; when Oikawa remarked on her management, how much of a perfect choice she was, she'd blushed and playfully hit his arm. It held no strength and Oikawa smiled at how delicate she was with him; if he could replace it with the way Iwaizumi acted though, he would.

Still, Oikawa had got used to it and he found himself relaxing more when Hayashi was around; it was a feeling he knew well, and he'd been certain that no-one else would ever make him feel so calm. He convinced himself that it was for the best. Iwaizumi didn't need to know how he felt; though for Oikawa, it would never make a difference. He could at least make Hayashi happy, and he was pushing for his own feelings to fall perfectly into place. When summer vacation drew closer and Oikawa prepared to visit home, he decided to invite Hayashi along; so she could meet his friends and his family.

* * *

Iwaizumi was a little surprised to find out that Kimura's brother lived not too far from his own house, so he decided to invite him along to their little summer party; Oikawa was bringing his girlfriend and Iwaizumi felt like the moral support would give him the strength to face them both.

He hadn't really expected them to look so perfect together; it was almost like they'd been made to fit with each other, Hayashi seemed to hold down some of Oikawa's usual spontenious behaviour. Iwaizumi spent half of the night talking with Kimura and trying to avoid Oikawa; he'd spoken with Hanamaki and Matsukawa, who both spoke kindly about Hayashi. Iwaizumi had felt glad, but only for a moment, because he wanted Oikawa to be happy; the bitter taste in his mouth wouldn't seem to vanish and his heart seemed to sink further each time he saw the two acting far too lovey-dovey.

He finally got trapped by Oikawa at the food table who embraced him and smiled brightly, "Iwa-chan! Haven't you missed me? We haven't spoken all night."

"We spoke three days ago, sorry to say much hasn't changed for me since then."

"Rude," Iwaizumi stiffened when Oikawa withdrew and he turned to see him embracing Hayashi. Iwaizumi felt a flood of feelings; he wished he could have Oikawa back, he didn't want to see her there, looking so happy and innocent, "Iwa-chan, this is Hayashi."

"Nice to meet you," She bowed and he awkwardly returned it, "Oikawa talks about you a lot," He thought, it was good they weren't using each others given name yet and it felt nice to know Oikawa had mentioned him, "I thought you might have been a girl at first until Oikawa used male pronouns."

"Oikawa thinks it's cute to call me Iwa-chan."

"It is! I know you secretly like it too, otherwise you would have told me to stop."

Iwaizumi scoffed, turning to fully face Oikawa, "I can't tell you want to do. Knowing you, you'd use it anyway."

"No, not if you hated it."

"Well Ushijima doesn't like being called Ushiwaka."

"So? He isn't my friend, I don't like him."

"True," Iwaizumi shrugged, "I don't hate it," Oikawa grinned, Hayashi smiled along with him and Iwaizumi felt like his little space of being so close to Oikawa, poking and teasing, suddenly came crumbling down, "Sorry Hayashi. It's nice to meet you, Oikawa spoke very highly of you."

"He did?"

Iwaizumi nodded; it was true, Oikawa hadn't said a bad word about her, "Iwa-chan, who did you come with?"

"That's Kimura, one of the guys from my dorm. His brother lives near-by and he's visiting, so I asked him if he wanted to tag along."

"That's not like you Iwa-chan. You wouldn't normally come to something dumb like this anyway."

 _It's to see you, in person. Video calls don't stop me from missing you._ Those words floated around in Iwaizumi's brain and he had to push them aside, "I wanted to see my friends too."

"Then it's not dumb?"

Iwaizumi shook his head, he couldn't stop the smile that curved his lips; without fail, Oikawa always found a way to cheer him up, "Oh! I think I understand, you call him Iwa-chan because he's cute when he smiles. Right, Oikawa?"

Iwaizumi waited on baited-breath, he had a feeling Oikawa would brush it off; but he smiled like he was hiding something, "I've never noticed. Don't be thinking about Iwa-chan like that! I'm cute too."

"Of course you are. I'm going to grab another drink."

Oikawa gently kissed Hayashi's cheek and she vanished into the kitchen; Iwaizumi felt a wave of envy wash over him, he had the sudden urge to grab Oikawa and kiss away anything he felt for Hayashi. Instead though, he picked up a sandwich from the table and settled into one of the chairs; Oikawa sat at the end of a sofa, closest to Iwaizumi, "Come on, tell me what you think."

"She's nice."

"Boring. She's more than that," Iwaizumi had to look away from the gentle smile that lit up Oikawa's face; he wanted to be the one to cause that reaction, not someone else. **Never** anyone else, "Now we've got a moment, you can tell me how much you do like being called Iwa-chan."

 _Nail, meet head_. It was scarily accurate how Oikawa could seem to judge Iwaizumi's feelings; he brushed it off and rolled his eyes, "Let it go Oikawa."

Oikawa blinked in surprise, feeling a little bewildered by Iwaizumi's reaction, "Sorry."

"You're always like this. You'll never grow up," Iwaizumi stood, he was sure he could feel his blood beginning to boil; he was set to explode and poor Oikawa was going to be on the receiving end, "You always have to push something. It's a stupid nickname, it doesn't make a difference. I don't hate it, I don't like it. It doesn't mean anything." Oikawa sat there, completely speechless; he couldn't understand what brought this on so suddenly, but it made him feel like his heart shattered and Iwaizumi was brushing the pieces under a rug, "It gets annoying."

Oikawa jumped up, pouting and ready to cry, "You're stupid Iwaizumi!" He stormed off out the back door; Iwaizumi blinked after him, almost gawking. He saw Matsukawa shaking his head, he huffed out a breath and left.

Iwaizumi made it to the end of the street when someone called him, "Iwaizumi! Wait!"

He couldn't be bothered to deal with anyone, he turned on Kimura and scowled, "What?"

"I don't know what that was about, but you shouldn't just leave me with people I only met today," Iwaizumi sighed, muttering an apology, "You should say that to Oikawa, he was crying."

"I don't care. The truth can be hard to hear."

He began walking again, with Kimura matching his pace, "Hey! That wasn't the truth, that was just cruel."

"What do you know?" Iwaizumi stopped, his hands balled tightly into fists, "Oikawa has always been like this. He overreacts."

Kimura rolled his eyes, "You can't be serious. He looked really hurt, you're supposed to be his best-friend, right? How can you treat him like that?"

"Because he never changes! It's always one thing after another. He plays with girls and Hayashi seems to be none the wiser."

"It looked like he really enjoyed her company."

"I know him. When it ends, he'll pout for a week then be back to his normal self. It never changes and I'm sick," Iwaizumi sighed, feeling more frustrated than earlier; he needed to let it all out, before he hit something, "He just plays with feelings and it's not funny. He needs to grow up."

Kimura tilted his head, everything slowly ticking together, "Who's feelings? Yours?" Iwaizumi hung his head, feeling incredibly defeated, "Does he even know? It's so obvious you like him, and I'm sorry he's got a girlfriend. Life isn't simple or easy, the person you like won't always like you back. But it doesn't mean you need to be so horrible."

"I...I didn't mean it. Seeing them together, it just made me explode. It was easy to hear him talk about her, I know he likes her. But actually **seeing** it first-hand...He doesn't know, but it hurts. It hurts so much." Iwaizumi broke down; Kimura gently rubbed his shoulder, even though it didn't make any of this feel easier. Iwaizumi never wanted to see Oikawa cry; he never wanted to hurt him and yet, he had.

"Even if you didn't mean it, you said it and it might be hard for Oikawa to forget that."

"I-I know," Iwaizumi sniffed, rubbing a hand over his face, "I'm a horrible friend."

Kimura shook his head, he walked with Iwaizumi back to his house, wanting to make sure he was okay; when they reached Iwaizumi's yard, he stopped, "You should really apologise to him."

"What if he doesn't even want to talk to me?"

"Well, you do kinda deserve that. But just try, you could always come up with an excuse why you blew up like that. Even try some honesty, if it's not the whole truth, some can help."

"Thank you. I am sorry," Kimura nodded, waving him off, "Night."

"Goodnight." Iwaizumi headed inside, saying a quick hello to his parents before he fled up to his room; he dropped down onto the bed with a heavy sigh, hoping that Oikawa could forgive him.  
  


* * *

  
  
Oikawa had spent the rest of the summer vacation feeling utterly miserable; Hayashi had tried her hardest to keep him happy, but the only thing he wanted was to go back and erase everything that Iwaizumi had said. He still couldn't understand it, but it stung more than anything else; returning to university had helped with keeping his mind off it but sometimes, it still felt like almost every part of his body hurt.

Iwaizumi's words kept running around his brain, _"You're always like this...It gets annoying."_ It made his heart wrench and the rest of the trip had mostly consisted of him trying to forget, with Hayashi comforting him; nothing she said would reach him though, he just kept thinking about all the reasons why Iwaizumi would **never** love him.

Oikawa felt as though he was going through the phases, like a moon; maybe it was petty to put Iwaizumi's messages on silent, he didn't want to face anything else, even if it was an apology. He didn't want to pretend like he wasn't hurt and he didn't want to turn a blind eye, forget that it never happened; Iwaizumi had never treated him so badly before. It always had been jokes and Oikawa didn't mind it, but something about the words he'd spoken had cut far too deep.

For the first since moving, Oikawa appreciated being so far from Iwaizumi, just so he didn't have to fave him every day; the mundane life of going to university, working and volleyball practice only eased him a little. Even during dates with Hayashi, he found it hard to enjoy her company as much; it was only when he sunk every fibre of his being into volleyball that he felt good.

A tiring day had him slouching against the wall of the gym, spinning a ball in his hands, "Oikawa," He looked up, smiling softly to Hayashi, "Don't over-do it. I know you're still upset about what Iwaizumi said."

"If this is what he wanted, then maybe my annoying behaviour has made him happy."

"You're not annoying. He's good friends with you, right? He probably regrets it."

Oikawa tutted, hanging his head again, "We've been friends for so long. There's been arguments. He would say I made an ugly face when I cried, he'd call me _Shittykawa_. But it was always a joke. He never called me annoying, not like that."

"I'm sorry," Hayashi sat down, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "I don't know what it 's like and I won't pretend to know what you're feeling, that would just be insulting to you. But I do know that friends aren't supposed to act like that."

Oikawa turned his head to her; being this close sent his heart flying, her eyes drew him in...So much like Iwzaizumi's, he could get lost and never want to come back, "Miyu-chan, did I ever say how cute you are?" She squeaked softly, shaking her head, "Well, I really think you are," Then he leaned in and kissed her; Hayashi grabbed his arm, her face heating up with the motion. She sunk into the feeling of the kiss, and when they eventually pulled away, she was sure her face was bright red, "Is it okay for me to call you Miyu-chan?"

"Yes."

"You can call me Tōru, if you want to."

Hayashi nodded, smiling shyly at him, "Okay, thank you Tōru-kun." Oikawa smiled in response, he took Hayashi's hand, weaving their fingers together; her smile grew and for the first time since Iwaizumi had said those words, he felt a little happy.


	5. tied as one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi attempts to apologise to Oikawa. And Oikawa decides to be honest with his feelings.

Iwaizumi had tried everything he could think of to contact Oikawa, he knew he wasn't really worthy of forgiveness, but he hated not having their weekly call, or the daily texts from Oikawa; he'd managed to talk with Matsukawa, who hadn't offered any help for getting Oikawa to forgive him, but he'd came to understand his sudden outburst. Iwaizumi had also learned that, while Oikawa would be returning home for the short winter break, he was only planning to spend time with his family.

Iwaizumi was hoping to catch him unaware, apologise properly for being so stupid, for letting his feelings control his words. He wasn't sure if Hayashi would be with Oikawa again, but he wanted to face his mistake head-on, regardless of whatever she thought of him.

He found himself almost too distracted to study, and he was sure his grades must be struggling, he could barely push Oikawa out of his mind to focus on anything else; despite it though, he didn't want to fail and concentrating on university provided a distraction. He'd also found a job too, he figured it was because more people needed help with winter break and new year around the corner; Oikawa stayed a niggling thought in the back of his head.

When it came time for winter break, Iwaizumi made sure to spend some time with his family, getting far too full from fried chicken; as soon as he had a moment, away from the hectic chaos that was his house, he took the walk to Oikawa's, braving himself to knock on the door. Oikawa's sister answered, smiling brightly at him, "Hajime-kun! How are you?"

"I'm alright. It's nice to see you again," She nodded, tilting her head at him, "Uh, I was hoping to see Tōru."

Her brows furrowed and his heart raced in his chest, hating how confused she looked, "He's already gone back. He only stayed a few days, I think he's gone to meet his girlfriend's family, spend new year with them."

"Oh."

"Hajime-kun, what's happened? Are you two fighting? Mom thought that Tōru was acting strange."

"Yeah, I was angry at something and I took it out on him. I know I shouldn't have, but he was just the last straw."

"Oh dear. I know you two, you'll find a way to make up."

"I hope so. I miss talking with him." Iwaizumi didn't feel like he needed to hide anything from her, and she pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight.

"It'll be okay. I'll talk to him."

"You don't need to, but thanks anyway," She pulled away and smiled, "I don't mind if he needs the space, I just wanted to let him know that I didn't mean it and I hate myself for saying what I did."

"Yeah, I'll tell him that too. Go on, you should get back to your family," Iwaizumi nodding, bidding her a goodbye before he headed off; she closed the door and sighed deeply, "You should listen to him. Did you see his face? He's obviously unhappy."

"He said I can have space, right? So I will," Oikawa straightened up, rolling his eyes when his sister folded her arms, "You didn't hear him, Hikari. He **did** mean to say it."

"Tōru. Don't be so stubborn. I know you miss him, mom said it too, you're like a lost lamb without him hanging at your side. You two have always been inseparable."

Oikawa shrugged, frowning at her words, "Things change." He headed up to his room; leaving her standing there, shaking her head at his response.

* * *

Oikawa was happy to return to university, just so it would be easier to avoid both his sister and Iwaizumi; volleyball practice was getting better too, he'd found himself properly integrated into the team. They'd set up a practice game with one of the neighbouring universities and Oikawa was looking forwards to the competition; his relationship with Hayashi had been flourishing too, he still hadn't been able to chase away the after-thought of Iwaizumi, but he was certain it would come to pass.

He found himself getting more excited as the match drew closer, he'd almost sent a message to Iwaizumi about it, but had caught himself before pressing his name; the team seemed antsy too and Hayashi had been putting some work into a good game-plan. Oikawa put all his strength and most of his concentration (with the rest focused on studying) into his practices. He'd found his spot in the team, matching to each spiker perfectly; there was always the same momentum behind his serves too and he relished in the feel of it.

The day for the match arrived, Hayashi had wished him luck with a kiss to his cheek and then he was strutting out onto court, to practice a few serves; he hadn't expected to see Ushijima on the opposing team and he couldn't help but scowl at him from across the room. Ushijima approached Oikawa before the match started and Oikawa's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "That's an ugly face," Oikawa rolled his eyes, getting ready to walk away; he found himself standing still when Ushijima spoke again, "We always end up on the opposite team."

"Good. I didn't want to go to Shiratorizowa. And I'd prefer to beat you."

Ushijima laughed, he surveyed the room before smirking at Oikawa, "Your ace isn't here. Did you two break up?"

"I moved away, he stayed. If I knew you'd be here, I would have avoided it."

"That is very childish," Oikawa frowned, remembering Iwaizimi's words: _You'll never grow up_. And Oikawa felt like he was being slapped, "No wonder he didn't follow you here," Oikawa fumed, his hands balling into fists, "I bet he's glad to be rid of your attitude."

Oikawa flew at Ushijima, grabbing the front of his jersey, "What do you know?!"

"Hey!" The coach ran over, pulling them apart, "Stop this nonsense, you're supposed to be adults."

Ushijima smirked and Oikawa had to hold himself back, turning his head when two arms wrapped around his left, "He's not worth it Tōru-kun."

"I would say I'm right. Based on that reaction."

And Ushijima went to join his team-mates, who had watched on in surprise and wonder; Oikawa let himself be led away by Hayashi, he sat down on the bench and took a deep breath, "What was that about?"

"Just an old rivalry. I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Oikawa looked up at Hayashi, who smiled softly, "I'll beat him on the court instead."

"Good." She nodded to the referee, and the teams were soon lining up, bowing to each other; they took their places on the court, the substitutes going to the side. Oikawa eyed Ushijima down. He would beat him...He _needed_ to.

* * *

The match had landed heavily in their favour and Oikawa almost burst a blood vessel when Ushijima had muttered: _Seems you just needed a better ace._ He had the urge to dive under the net and throttle him, but he kept his composure and moved on; after getting changed, he headed to the library with Hayashi, who looked a little worried. When they got comfortable at a table, she spoke up, "You don't like Ushijima."

"I hate him. He always talked down about Aobajōsai, that I was better than them and should have gone to his high school so someone could take full advantage of my skill," Oikawa sighed, flipping through his textbook mindlessly, "He's a good player, but I never thought my team were bad either. I loved playing with them. He doesn't get to insult Iwa-chan like that either."

Hayashi smiled at him softly and his brows rose in confusion, "That's the first time you called him Iwa-chan since the fight."

"Oh..." Oikawa hadn't realised it, he sighed again and closed the book; he reached out and grasped Hayashi's hands, "I'm sorry."

"Hmm. What for?" She already knew what he was going to say and had prepared herself for it, "You're not very good at hiding your feelings Oikawa. I wanted to be by your side, when we first met, something about you drew me in. Then you spoke about Iwaizumi, like he was the only person in your life. I stuck it out in hopes that you would feel the same towards me, but it's unfair, on both of us. You're lying to yourself, and I am too."

Oikawa felt a little surprised, he hadn't known that she was so perceptive of his feelings and he felt guilty, like he'd strung her along, "I'm really sorry."

"Don't be, it's okay. I'll be fine, you should talk to him."

"Thank you," Hayashi smiled, letting her hands fall from his; even if she had prepared herself, it still hurt knowing that she would never be the light of his life...Not like Iwaizumi. Oikawa grabbed his things, bowing to her before fleeing from the library. His heart hammered in his chest, he needed to talk to Iwaizumi, it was the only thing he was certain of at this moment; he didn't know what he was going to say, not even as he booted up his pc and started calling Iwaizumi. He was elated when Iwaizumi answered; though Iwaizumi looked far-off, like something bad had happened, "What's wrong?"

_"I'm sorry Oikawa. I didn't mean what I said, it was stupid. I'm so sorry._

Oikawa's heart melted. He could never stay mad for long anyway, even during times when Iwaizumi had made him pout, he always said something that would instantly put a smile on his face. It helped that Hikari and Hayashi had faith in Iwaizumi too, "Iwa-chan!" The nickname rolled off his tongue and Iwaizumi dared looking straight at his eyes, "You're still stupid. But I'll forgive you, just this once."

_"Thank you," Iwaizumi smiled softly at Oikawa; he felt like he didn't deserve this, he'd felt so awful knowing he made Oikawa cry, "You forgave me too easily."_

"Iwa-chan, you're my best friend!"

_"I made you cry."_

"Kimura told you?" Iwaizumi nodded; Oikawa smiled, waving a hand dismissively, "It's okay, you just said you didn't mean it. I believe you. But you said it anyway, which is why you're stupid."

_"I am, I didn't even expect you to forgive me," Iwaizumi sighed softly, Oikawa was sure he sounded relieved, "You're too nice."_

"Maybe. But it's you Iwa-chan, you're usually mean, so I have to be nice sometimes," Iwaizumi chuckled, Oikawa couldn't help but smile too; it was rare when he needed to be the one cheering up Iwaizumi, it was nice to see that he could make Iwaizumi happy, "What was wrong then?"

_Iwaizumi could remember Kimura's words, so he took a deep breath before speaking, "I like someone. I found out they started dating recently and I guess seeing you so happy with Hayashi just reminded me that I can't be that way."_

"I never realised you were so soft Iwa-chan!" Oikawa grinned, despite how his heart stung. He felt like he had no reason to feel that way; he already knew that Iwaizumi wouldn't suddenly fall for him, even if he'd decided to face his own feelings, "Who melted your cold heart?"

_Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, shrugging, "None of your business."_

"So mean, so rude," Oikawa pouted, "After I just forgave you, you should be nice to me."

_"It's not as if you tell me every person you like!"_

Oikawa hummed, nodding at Iwaizumi's words; they were more than true, Oikawa had never been honest about it until Hayashi had so boldly pointed it out, "Then I guess you should know that I broke up with Hayashi."

_"What? Why?"_

"I didn't like her as much as I thought. She knew though and she was so direct about it. It felt more like she was breaking up with me. I was the one who decided it was over," Iwaizumi's brows scrunched, still looking rather confused, "Anyway, I didn't call about that," _He did, of course_ , "We had a match today, against one of the near-by universities. Ushiwaka is on their team! We won, I don't think I could have stood a lost against him, he's so smug."

_"I always knew you could beat him."_

"We could have too. I needed to be better, and now I am."

_"You must have a great ace."_

"You're great!" Iwaizumi shook his head; Oikawa felt the rage from earlier return, he huffed and glared, "Ushiwaka said that. And it's not true! You were never to blame for us losing, we celebrated our wins as a team, so we all share the loss too."

_"When did you become so wise?"_

"It's not that. I know it's true, I believe in it," Iwaizumi smiled and Oikawa felt his heart jump; he suddenly realised what he wanted to say. It felt extremely unfair that Iwaizumi already had feelings for someone; Oikawa feigned a yawn, suddenly wanting to run away before he stuck his foot in and said something to ruin the moment, "I'm going to head off anyway. You must tired too. Goodnight Iwa-chan."

 _"Yeah. Goodnight."_ Oikawa smiled, hanging up the call; he shut down his pc and sighed, he felt that it just had to be like their relationship was doomed to never go beyond friendship. He quickly got changed for the night, hiding deep beneath the covers of his bed; he could only hope that those words had been a dark part of his imagination, that Iwaizumi would be his, one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima is definitely ooc here. Oops.


	6. hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First year comes to an end.

Iwaizumi went through every phase after hearing about Oikawa's break-up, he'd already said he liked someone, but he was certain Oikawa didn't know that it was about him; their friendship settled back into the same routine, a call every week and daily messages from Oikawa. He wanted to tell Oikawa, and when first year of university came to an end, he'd been tempted; it just didn't feel right saying it over a call, Iwaizumi wanted to do it in person, be certain that Oikawa knew he was being serious.

Instead though, the last call they had before exams hadn't been about feelings; Oikawa had pitched an idea for them finding some student housing in the middle, to share together and they they could both travel to university from there. Iwaizumi liked the idea, he was growing tired of texting or calling, he missed seeing Oikawa in person. So they had looked together, found a nice little student apartment; in Shiroishi, perfectly in the middle, with around forty-five minutes, either way to their respective universities.

Iwaizumi had bade goodbye to his dorm-friends, with a far too gleeful smile and made the journey to his new residence, where Oikawa was waiting, just getting started with his unpacking; Iwaizumi smiled to him, itching for a hug. Oikawa grinned, grabbing the box and putting it down onto the counter, "Isn't it nice?"

"Yeah, seems good enough. Definitely better to see it in person."

"We can save money this way too, share the cost of things we'll both be using."

Iwaizumi nodded; he took a step back, ready to head back and grab another box, "I still have two more to grab."

"Iwa-chan, there's no rush, you can help me in the kitchen for two minutes," Oikawa swooped him under his arm; his grin made Iwaizumi smile, he gently nudged his elbow into Oikawa's side, squirming away from the embrace. As much as Iwaizumi wanted to stay there, he knew if he did, he would hold on for dear life and never let go, "Rude! You haven't seen me for a while and you're just brushing me off."

"I see you through video calls," _Which is never enough_ , left unsaid, hanging in the back of Iwaizumi's throat, "Besides, if you slack off, this will never get done."

"Iwaaaa-chan! You're so mean," Oikawa was pouting and Iwaizumi wanted to kiss it away, "I thought you were going to be nice after you made me cry," The words stung; Oikawa probably hadn't meant them to, but it still made Iwaizumi feel bad, and he turned away to put some dishes into the cupboard, "Are you pouting? I said I forgive you, I'm just messing around."

Iwaizumi placed down the glass he was holding and turned to Oikawa, his brows furrowed, "I'm worried. You never cry because of something I said."

"It hurt, but you apologised and I do forgive you," Oikawa smiled, pulling Iwaizumi into his arms again; ignoring the protest from Iwaizumi, "You know me, I don't hold grudges."

"What about Kageyama?"

"Irrelevant," Oikawa rolled his eyes, sticking out his tongue at the mention of Kageyama's name, "You're not Tobio-chan. You're my best-friend, it's different. Don't you feel the same?"

 _More than that...So much more._ Iwaizumi had to swallow those words, they were scratching too close to the surface; Oikawa seemed far too busy just resting against him, Iwaizumi's usual glare came and he pushed Oikawa away. His automatic reaction bit almost like acid would, he remembered upsetting Oikawa though and the words fizzled on his tongue; instead, he shook his head and went back to putting things away, "You're my friend."

Oikawa grinned, he set to putting cutlery and utensils into one of the drawers, "I'm so sad. Iwa-chan doesn't love me," Iwaizumi's heart skipped a beat, wondering if Oikawa had any clue what he was saying; even with the playful tone, the context of friendship, it made Iwaizumi pause for a moment, "You should hold me higher than a _friend_ , because I'm the best."

Iwaizumi grit his teeth, "Shittykawa, I swear," He spun to face Oikawa, a cup still in hand. Oikawa was stood there, grinning like an idiot; his eyes were closed and Iwaizumi had to hold himself steady, he thought that this is what perfection looked like. Oikawa with his dumb toothy grin, looking like he could end every problem; Iwaizumi put the cup down onto the counter and crossed the distance between them. Before he could stop himself, he was reaching out and then his hands rested on Oikawa's cheeks; who's eyes shot open, looking curiously at Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi came to his senses, he pinched Oikawa's cheeks, frowning, "Can you stay focused?"

"Yeah, yeah. Get off," Oikawa pushed away Iwaizumi's arms then rubbed his cheeks, he had to try and calm down the racing of his heart, "That hurt."

"If you say so," Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and returned to putting the rest of the dishes away; Oikawa finished up too and they headed down to grab the last couple of boxes. They placed them onto the desk in Iwaizumi's room and Oikawa sighed happily, "What?"

"I'm just glad we're done. I should let you finish in here, I've got my own room to decorate too!" Iwaizumi nodded, and Oikawa _skipped_ out of the room, making Iwaizumi shake his head; he opened the first box and picked up a picture frame. Sat in it was a photograph of him and Oikawa, when they'd first gotten into Aobajōsai; Iwaizumi ran his thumb over Oikawa, who was smiling just like he had been moments ago.

It made Iwaizumi smile too and he placed the picture onto the desk; it would always have pride of place over anything else, he then quickly made the bed and put his clothes away before placing the empty boxes into the corner of the room. He made his way back into the lounge, expecting to find Oikawa there, the room was scarce of life though; Iwaizumi shook his head and crossed the distance to Oikawa's bedroom door, as he was raising his hand to knock, he heard a soft sniffle from the other side.

The noise made Iwaizumi freeze, he was about to let himself in to see what was wrong, after Oikawa had seemed so happy moments ago; he heard him speaking softly, likely on the phone to someone. So Iwaizumi pressed his ear to the door and waited on baited breath to pick up any part of the conversation, _"I'm stupid..."_ Iwaizumi frowned, straining to hear through the door and the lack of conviction in Oikawa's voice, _"No...It's not that...It was never going to work out,"_ Iwaizumi wished he knew the context, so he could comfort Oikawa through whatever this was, _"I'm not scared...Hayashi!"_ **Oh** , so he was talking to his ex. Maybe they were having an argument about the break-up? But Oikawa had said she had been expecting it, so it was mutual, even though she liked him. So then it had to be something else. It made Iwaizumi bite his lip, his hands clenching into fists; he wanted Oikawa to go to him about his issues, anything that upset him, not talking to someone else. _"It's no use...I'm unlovable."_

Iwaizumi fumed, he let himself into the room, glaring at Oikawa; Oikawa blinked at Iwaizumi's appearance, "Iwa-chan?" On the other end of his call, Hayashi wished him luck then hung up, leaving Oikawa feeling like a cornered animal, "What are you doing?"

"Dumbass, I was looking for you. I hear you in here crying," Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, he slowly approached Oikawa and gently brushed away his tears; Oikawa gawked, clutching at his phone, "Don't tell me I upset you again?"

"N-no! I promise. I was just..." He dropped his hand and let his phone fall quietly onto the bed, "I guess I got a little lost in thought," Oikawa laughed, he swatted Iwaizumi's hands away, "Don't worry about it!"

"How can I take that seriously when you look like you're going to cry again?"

"I'm just being dumb," Oikawa pushed Iwaizumi back and stood up, "Why don't we go for ramen? Or sushi? I'm hungry."

Oikawa made the move to leave and Iwaizumi felt like a blood vessel was going to pop; he reached out to stop Oikawa, holding him firmly by his forearm, "Hey dumbass! We're best-friends. You can talk to me. You don't _ever_ have to go to someone else."

"Okay! But I promise I'm fine, come on!" Oikawa pulled Iwaizumi forward, the force behind it had them tumbling to the floor; in a mess of limbs, Iwaizumi felt his face beginning to heat up at the closeness between them. Iwaizumi quickly tried to scramble to his feet but ended up making the situation worse; their heads bumped together, Oikawa grumbled at the contact and grasped at Iwaizumi's biceps, "Stop rushing Iwa-chan! You're making this worse."

Iwaizumi took a deep breath and slowly they untangled themselves; only to end up with Oikawa still grasping at Iwaizumi's arms and Iwaizumi looming over Oikawa, "Dumbass, you're the one who pulled me."

"Sorry. You were being weird and I want food."

"I'm weird?" Iwaizumi's brows knitted together, he scoffed at those words, "You were the one who was happy, then suddenly started crying. You won't even tell me why. You're so impatient, pulling me like that when you could have just asked me to let go."

Oikawa rolled his eyes, the closeness made his heart race and everything slid from his mind; being in this position made him feel dizzy with glee, he moved one hand and cupped Iwaizumi's cheek, "Sometimes you're stupid Hajime." Then he shifted and pressed a kiss to Iwaizumi's lips.

Iwaizumi's eyes widened in shock; Oikawa's lips on his own felt so natural, the feeling of love and familiarity made his head spin, and he had to push himself away, stumbling to his feet. Oikawa gaped then covered his face with his hands, "Get up," He helped Oikawa to his feet, who refused to meet his eyes and seemed content holding his hands over his lips; Iwaizumi felt a little ticked off, he couldn't understand why Oikawa would do that. Maybe it was the need to replace what he once had with Hayashi. It made his heart feel like it was about to explode in his chest, he couldn't think of what to say, something about it felt right; Iwaizumi grasped Oikawa's wrists and moved his hands aside, "Look at me," Oikawa met Iwaizumi's eyes, his heart pounding far too erratically in his chest, "What was that?"

"A-A mistake! I'm sorry Iwa-chan. I wasn't thinking, I know you said you like someone--"

"Tōru, you're a dumbass!" Oikawa's brows shot upwards, Iwaizumi never used his given name like that; he had a feeling something more was going to be said, but instead, Iwaizumi closed the small distance between them and pressed their lips together again. Oikawa's brain fizzled as it rushed into overdrive, trying to figure out why Iwaizumi would return the gesture; when Iwaizumi pulled away, he looked a little shy and Oikawa couldn't help but find it incredibly cute, "I like you."

"O-oh!"

"Is that all?!" Iwaizumi fumed, dropping his hands to his sides, "You kissed me first. You can't just say _oh_. What does that--"

"Hajime, I like you too," Iwaizumi gawked, his face heating up with a blush again, "You're adorable! I never knew you felt the same. I'm so happy!" Oikawa threw his arms around Iwaizumi, grinning widely again; Iwaizumi tried to fight off the embrace, but it wasn't any use, he was happy to be there anyway, "I think I understand now. You were just jealous of Hayashi and I, weren't you? So you got all mad and mean."

"H-hey!" Iwaizumi squirmed away from Oikawa's teasing, "You started dating her."

"I never knew you felt the same," He repeated the words, still not quite sinking in that Iwaizumi really liked him, "I just assumed I didn't stand a chance and I tried to move on. It was no use though," Oikawa smiled softly and Iwaizumi's heart skipped a beat, "It's always been us. You've **always** been the one for me." Those words, Oikawa's soothing voice, it felt like fireworks exploding in Iwaizumi's chest; everything seemed to fall perfectly into place and he felt _whole_.

"You're so dumb."

"And you're mean!" Oikawa pouted; Iwaizumi reached up to hold his face, rubbing his thumb in circles over his cheek, and Oikawa smiled again, "But I like you anyway. That won't change."

"No. Not for me either."

Oikawa pressed a gentle kiss to Iwaizumi's cheek, "So, does this mean you're my boyfriend now?"

"Of course, dumbass. What else would it mean?"

"Can't you be a _little_ nicer?"

Iwaizumi shrugged off Oikawa, who pouted in response, "No."

"It's okay, I wouldn't want you to change. And seriously, Iwa-chan, I need fooooooooood."

"Yeah, let's go," Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa's hand and interlaced their fingers; Oikawa felt giddy, it was such a simple act, but it made him want to squeal with joy. He held himself together with a bright smile plastered onto his face, they headed out and when a few people looked in their direction. Oikawa felt suddenly very shy, he went to pull his hand free, but Iwaizumi just pulled him closer and Oikawa let out a little squeak, "Don't do that. It's none of their business."

"Okay." Oikawa smiled softly and held on tight to Iwaizumi's hand. He never wanted to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soft bois.
> 
> Also, meet the modified version of the story summary ;D


	7. happiness can come from the smallest of things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa has his first official university match.

Between university and work, Oikawa felt like he wasn't spending enough time with Iwaizumi; after the kiss, they'd only went for food the same day and hadn't exactly had a **real** date together. After a long afternoon studying at the university library, Oikawa yawned and packed away his things, "That was a huge yawn."

He turned his head and smiled at Katou, "It's been a long day. Are you looking forward to the game on Sunday?"

"Of course! We've been training hard. Have you got anyone coming to support you?"

"Oh, I don't know. I forgot to ask Iwa-chan. I've been busy with work and studying, it slipped my mind."

"You should ask him to come! The team would love to meet him."

Oikawa hummed, "I like keeping him to myself."

"Selfish," Oikawa grinned and Katou shook his head, "Get home. I can see you're just about dying."

Oikawa jumped up, haphazardly throwing his backpack over his shoulders; he hurried out with a quick wave over his shoulder, the train ride home felt like it took far too long and Oikawa found himself running home from the station. He was far too eager to see Iwaizumi, he took the stairs in their block two at a time and flew into their apartment; Iwaizumi looked up from his laptop, brows raised, "What?"

"I've got a game on Sunday. I forgot to tell you, I saw Katou--the libero, at the library and remembered that I hadn't mentioned it to you."

"Oh. I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the theater."

Oikawa blanched, he put down his backpack then hung-up his jacket and joined Iwaizumi on the sofa, "I see. Have you got tickets for anything?"

"Not yet. I...I thought it would be a good chance for us to have a nice day out together, finish with a film."

"How about next weekend? Then you can get good seats for us! I'd like you to come and watch the game."

"I'd love to," Iwaizumi smiled at Oikawa, he shifted and put the laptop onto the coffee table before turning his full attention to Oikawa, "You're out of breath."

"I ran from the station."

"Ah, volleyball does make you rush around too much."

"It wasn't about the game! I wanted to see you."

"I figured," Then Iwaizumi kissed him and Oikawa had to grip at his shoulders, the rest of the air in his body seemed to have fled with the motion; it was strange, to think that this was something real, and it did take Oikawa's breath away. Holding onto Iwaizumi made him feel somewhat grounded, if the kiss hadn't made him feel like he was already floating off in space somewhere; one of Iwaizumi's hands grasped at Oikawa's side, while the other moved up to cradle Oikawa's head, as their tongues melded together.

Oikawa relaxed into the embrace, his fingers trailed across Iwaizumi's shoulder, to rest at his neck and play with strands of his hair; they pulled away for air and Iwaizumi couldn't help but feel drawn back to Oikawa, smothering his cheeks then his neck with more kisses. Oikawa squirmed, he pushed at Iwaizumi's shoulders, "Iwa-chan! That tickles, stop it."

"You're not laughing," Iwaizumi's voice was soft; a brush of air against Oikawa's neck made him close his eyes, "You're cute like this."

"Iwa-chan, stop teasing me, it's not very nice," Oikawa pouted and Iwaizumi grinned; he ran his hand through Oikawa's hair, "You look nice. It's rare to see you without a frown."

Iwaizumi pinched Oikawa's cheek, glaring at him, "It's not hard for you to make me frown!"

"Hajime-chan," Oikawa gently pressed a finger to Iwaizumi's forehead, smoothing out the lines; Iwaizumi felt his ears burn a little bit, he still wasn't really used to Oikawa using his given name, and in such a cute fashion. Despite how they used to always do so when they were younger, it was different now; Iwaizumi couldn't help but feel a little shy about it, "See! I like this face better."

"Shittykawa--" Oikawa leaned up, silencing Iwaizumi's lips with a kiss; Iwaizumi's fingers threaded into Oikawa's hair, holding him close as their lips moved together. He didn't mind being interrupted if it was something like this. He could kiss Oikawa forever.

Oikawa broke the kiss, smiling brightly at Iwaizumi, "Hey, Hajime-chan? You can frown or smile, I still like you."

"Dumbass," Iwaizumi felt his face flush, he pressed his face into Oikawa's neck and sighed, "Tōru...You mean everything to me." Oikawa smiled, he ran his hand over Iwaizumi's hair then softly kissed his head; everything felt right with him.

* * *

Sunday rolled around quickly, Iwaizumi felt joyous to go and watch Oikawa play; he met the team, with a little pushing from Oikawa and got to see them practice some of their rotations. He even got onto the court himself and hit a few balls; it had felt like a rush, Oikawa still matched him perfectly, like it was ingrained into his body. The team had watched on in awe, applauding their grace together on the court; Oikawa had grinned, pulling Iwaizumi under his arm as he talked about how great Iwaizumi was. Iwaizumi had shrugged off the compliments, rubbing a little nervously at the back of his neck; he pulled Oikawa into a kiss, who had blushed a beautiful bright red; he hadn't thought Iwaizumi would be one for a public display, but he had smirked far too smugly, and Oikawa had pinned it down to his blatant embarrassment.

Iwaizumi got changed, from the kit he'd been lent, after Oikawa's incessant prodding for some spikes, and then found a seat perfectly front-row, where he could see everything; the crowd slowly filtered in, while the team ran through a few more serves, the other team arrived too and ran through some of their own warm-up drills. Iwaizumi thought they looked good, but he knew that Oikawa brought the best out of the players around him, so he wasn't worried about how it would pan out; Oikawa waved to him before the teams were lining up and Iwaizumi smiled in return.

Oikawa soon slipped into his focused composure, mind clearly set on the game ahead, and it hit Iwaizumi how much he enjoyed watching Oikawa get into the zone like that; it also made him remember how people always put Oikawa down to being: ditsy, flirty, boisterous...It was never anything good, and Iwaizumi felt frustrated that not many people knew what he was really like; how he held their team together with tactics and strong words, how his intelligence could shine brightly in any situation. Iwaizumi _loved_ every part of Oikawa; even if there had been moments when he'd flirt with girls who surrounded him, and it had worn Iwaizumi down a few times.

But looking back, Iwaizumi could now place the acid that always stung his throat, the way his chest would tighten and how he wanted to push everyone away from Oikawa; it had all been his slow descent into falling completely for him. Watching Oikawa rule the court with his quick thinking, picking the right spiker to get past the blockers and occasionally slipping a dump over the net; every part of it set Iwaizumi alight. The team won two sets to one, having only dropped the second and everyone bowed, complementing the game; as the team filtered off to the changing room, Iwaizumi found himself following after Oikawa.

He quickly pulled him aside and into a hot kiss; Oikawa had been taken off-guard by it, but soon found himself slipping into the feeling, grasping tightly onto the sides of Iwaizumi's shirt. Iwaizumi soon had Oikawa pressed against the wall, his tongue sliding between eager lips; Oikawa brought one hand up to grasp at Iwaizumi's hair, their lips and tongues melding into a rhythm. They eventually pulled away to gasp for air and Oikawa just realised Iwaizumi's hands had somehow snaked up his jersey, "A-ah! Iwa-chan, don't do that."

"Hmm?" Iwaizumi returned to reality; he realised how it might have looked if anyone stumbled across them, with Oikawa pressed to the wall, far too red in the face and lips almost bruised, his hands grasping at Oikawa's skin. He withdrew, his face flushing with embarrassment; he hadn't meant to get ahead of himself, but Oikawa drew him into a place he couldn't escape...Like a black hole, "Sorry. Go get changed. We can go to the mall and grab something to eat."

"Sure!" Oikawa pecked Iwaizumi's lips, "I won't keep you waiting too long." Then he walked off, his hips swaying with the movement; it made Iwaizumi shake his head, he was sure Oikawa must have done that on purpose. Iwaizumi made his way back to the stands and took a moment to sit, calming himself down while he waited; he couldn't quite believe what he'd been doing, Oikawa had reciprocated the kiss, but had gotten a little shy when he realised where Iwaizumi's hands had been. They still felt hot, like touching Oikawa had burned him somehow; Iwaizumi sighed and slouched into the seat, he needed to keep a lid on something like that, he didn't want Oikawa to feel pressured into anything. So lost in his thoughts, Iwaizumi didn't see Oikawa running right to him, until a soft kiss reached his head, "Let's go then!"

"Yeah," Iwaizumi got up, quickly taking Oikawa's hand, to thread their fingers together; Oikawa grinned and almost dragged Iwaizumi out of the gym, "H-hey! Calm down, there's no rush!"

"Oh, of course not. You should appreciate every second you spend with the great Oikawa."

"Tch, you wish," Iwaizumi pulled Oikawa beside him and leaned up to quickly pinch his bottom lip with his teeth; Oikawa flared bright red and Iwaizumi smirked, slowing down their pace to a more pleasant stroll, "I don't want anything to be rushed between us. I can appreciate that."

Oikawa smiled softly, he gently brushed into Iwaizumi's shoulder and held onto his hand a little tighter; when they made it to the mall, they spent some time having a look around the stores first, before heading to a seafood restaurant that they had passed at one point. They found a table together, huddled at the edge of the restaurant; they ordered and Oikawa hummed when their drinks arrived, they said their thanks and Oikawa spoke up, "We should try to avoid eating out a lot, it won't be cheap."

"We can go buy some groceries after this, maybe I'll cook for you tomorrow."

Oikawa grinned and Iwaizumi felt like he was about to be bombarded by something, "Wow! Thank you Iwa-chan!"

"Never mind," Iwaizumi shook his head; it was silly to think about something so mundane and he had a feeling Oikawa would never stop talking about it, "I think you'll manage fine on your own," Oikawa pouted, he mindlessly played with the straw in his drink; maybe he'd gotten too far ahead of himself, he knew what Iwaizumi was like. Perhaps a obviously-in-love relationship was pushing the boundaries, but he didn't mind it and he wouldn't want Iwaizumi to change for anything, or anyone. Their food arrived and Oikawa was too lost in his thoughts to really notice, he snapped out of his daze when Iwaizumi touched his hand, "Fine! If you keep making a face like that, how can I refuse?"

"Iwa-chan, you don't need to." Oikawa curled his fingers around Iwaizumi's hand and smiled softly.

"It's okay, I think I'd really like to," Oikawa gently squeezed Iwaizumi's hand, then he let go so they could dig into their food; their conversation was light while they ate, both enjoying the time they were spending together. Oikawa felt a warmth settle in his chest the moment that Iwaizumi said he'd like to cook for him, it was something so simple but it made Oikawa's heart soar beyond the clouds; even this, despite how many times Oikawa had gone on a dinner date with a girl, it felt different with Iwaizumi. Like something had lit up inside him, "I meant to say," Iwaizumi spoke up after finishing a mouthful of food, "You looked really good during the game."

Oikawa smiled brightly; he could remember the way that Iwaizumi had kissed him after the match and it made his face feel a little warm, "Thank you."

Iwaizumi had expected Oikawa to grin and say, _well of course I did._ It caught him off-guard that Oikawa looked genuinely thankful and all Iwaizumi could do was smile in response; they finished up and split the bill then headed to the closest grocery store, happily hand-in-hand. They picked up plenty of food to get through a week; Oikawa blabbed about some meals he could put together for their bento boxes and Iwaizumi couldn't help but find it immensely cute. When they reached a quiet area of the store, Iwaizumi pulled Oikawa close and pressed a kiss to his lips, smirking when Oikawa's face flushed.

After a long day, they returned home, slowly packing away the groceries, and once it was done, they sat together on the sofa, with Oikawa happily resting against Iwaizumi's chest; they found a film to watch together, Iwaizumi let his fingers mindlessly run through Oikawa's hair, the soft strands easily falling back into place. Oikawa hummed quietly, basking in Iwaizumi's touch, "Oikawa," He looked up, blinking beneath long lashes; Iwaizumi's hand cupped his cheek and connected their lips in a kiss. Oikawa felt his head spin for a moment; he thought Iwaizumi was about to say something, but he preferred this anyway. Iwaizumi held Oikawa close until they pulled away for breath; Iwaizumi exhaled slowly, rubbing his thumb over Oikawa's cheek, "Tōru, I never want to leave you."

"Me neither, Hajime," Oikawa reached up and held Iwaizumi's hand; the smile that curled his lips felt so natural, like Iwaizumi acted like a light for Oikawa, a way where everything was clear, "Thank you."

"What for?"

"Being here."

"Of course, dumbass. We decided to share an apartment."

"That's not what--"

"I know. Thank you for being with me too, sometimes it feels like I'm living in a fantasy world."

"Yeah. But it's real." Iwaizumi nodded at Oikawa's words and he smiled when Oikawa rested against his chest; he happily returned to running his fingers through Oikawa's hair, just to feel how real this actually was.


	8. dissolving away my sense of restraint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi finds it hard to keep his hands to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from the lyrics of [Wasp](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YguM-5j9z4), by Motionless in White. _"her lipstick stains like acid rain. dissolving away my sense of restraint."_

Iwaizumi and Oikawa made sure to fit one day in a week to go on a date together; their movie date had been fun too, they had took a long walk through a near-by trail, grabbed some noodles for lunch and then went for dinner before catching the film. Iwaizumi remembered fondly how Oikawa's arms curled around his left when they had settled into their seats; the film had been a welcoming distraction for Iwaizumi, especially when Oikawa had decided to whisper, _I'm looking forward to this_. Directly into Iwaizumi's ear, the brush of air against his skin had made goosebumps span over his body; everything that Oikawa seemed to do, drove Iwaizumi insane. He wanted to appreciate ever second of their time together, without rushing things; Iwaizumi still felt a little embarrassed after the small incident in the gym.

He took some extra hours at work, in order to keep his mind occupied and his time in the apartment to a minimal. Of course, he wanted to be with Oikawa more than anything and after winter break, things had died down; so he found himself stuck in the apartment, studying. Iwaizumi was already prepared to take the second year exam, he knew he didn't need to study, but it seemed to keep Oikawa at a bit of a distance.

Oikawa was happy having Iwaizumi around, even if they sat in silence; his own work had seemed to wither down to the usual days he had free, along with an hour or so after he'd finished lessons. Oikawa especially loved going out with Iwaizumi, even if it was something silly like going to the store; he still noticed the distance between them, it was like they didn't spend time together, but sometimes it seemed like Iwaizumi was scared to touch him. Oikawa missed it; he loved Iwaizumi's kisses, but now they'd slowly dissolved into barely a peck, and of course he planned to change it. He wasn't one to rush things; but with Iwaizumi, everything felt natural enough that, _maybe_ if a kiss progressed into something more, Oikawa wouldn't mind it.

He returned back a little earlier than usual, passing up his normal study hour in the university library and he had the evening off from work; still, when he got in, Iwaizumi was sat in his usual position on the couch, typing away on his laptop, "Hey." He spoke as he hung up his coat and bag.

"Welcome home," Oikawa's heart fluttered at the usual greeting, he could hear it a million times but it still sounded special coming from Iwaizumi; he walked behind the couch and draped himself over Iwaizumi, "What are you doing?"

"Hm, hugging you. Won't you give me a kiss, Iwa-chan?"

"What?" Iwaizumi turned his head, pressing his lips to Oikawa's cheek, "I always do."

Oikawa sighed, his lips forming into a pout, "Not like that! A **real** kiss, I miss you."

"Okay," Iwaizumi brought a hand up to hold Oikawa's chin and he pressed their lips together, in a quick kiss that left Oikawa still pouting, "What's wrong with you today?"

"I just miss you," Iwaizumi was sure his stomach trembled at those words; he'd thought that the distance between them had been something where Oikawa wouldn't get too upset, so it hurt him to know that Oikawa had noticed the change. Iwaizumi put his laptop down onto the coffee table and gently tapped the spot beside him; Oikawa perked up a little and quickly hopped into the space, "I thought you really liked me Iwa-chan. Don't push me away."

"Sorry, I've been too preoccupied with university and work," Iwaizumi sighed softly, he turned to Oikawa, "You know how I feel," _and I can't help but want everything at once_. The words that almost rushed out of Iwaizumi's mouth, made him swallow; he knew it was true, but he did also want to take things as a precious step at a time. Like walking on ice. He brought a hand up to caress Oikawa's cheek, "I promise, I won't push you away."

Oikawa smiled and Iwaizumi leaned in to press their lips together; Oikawa responded in kind and when Iwaizumi's tongue gently pressed against his bottom lip, his lips parted automatically in response, his eyes sliding close as their tongues melded together. Iwaizumi shifted and they ended up with Oikawa pressed against the couch cushions; the kiss felt heated, Oikawa's hand settled at the back of Iwaizumi's head while Iwaizumi's hands had shifted to Oikawa's hips, holding gently as they kissed.

Then, suddenly while their lips stayed joined together, Iwaizumi's hands shifted and Oikawa felt his head spin. It was like they were everywhere at once; in Oikawa's hair, resting against his face, at his sides, on his thighs. Oikawa's body felt like it burned to the touch, he grasped at Iwaizumi's hair, gasping out a breath when their lips parted; Iwaizumi's hands slid up Oikawa's shirt, his thumbs tracing circles over Oikawa's skin. Their lips joined together again and Oikawa melted into the sensation, his heart pounded in his chest as their tongues met; Iwaizumi's thumbs ran over Oikawa's nipples, the breathy moan he received in response made him pull back.

Oikawa lay there, hair mussed up against the couch cushions, lips almost red-raw and chest heaving with each breath he took; Iwaizumi felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him when he saw Oikawa's shirt pushed all the way up, his hands resting against Oikawa's sides. Iwaizumi grasped the fabric of Oikawa's shirt and quickly pulled it back into place before scrambling to his feet; Oikawa sat up and watched Iwaizumi grab his laptop and slip into his bedroom, Oikawa sighed in frustration, pressing a hand to his head.

He'd been enjoying the closeness with Iwaizumi, perhaps a little too much if the tent in his pants was anything to go by; Oikawa had to wonder if Iwaizumi was scared of something happening. Maybe it was too soon for him; but, to Oikawa, it had felt right-- **good** , and Oikawa hadn't wanted Iwaizumi to stop. He was certain of his feelings, despite how neither one of them had said the L-word yet, he was sure Iwaizumi had to feel just as strongly. It was nearing a year to when they'd moved in together; Oikawa figured that, _no_ , it wasn't too soon. He could tell Iwaizumi that he loved him. They'd **dated** long enough for that.

Oikawa pushed himself from the couch and made his way to Iwaizumi's room; he burst in without knocking, startling Iwaizumi who was lying on the bed trying to get control of his thoughts, "Oikawa?"

"Iwaizumi Hajime! You promised not to push me away," Iwaizumi's brows furrowed, he opened his mouth but Oikawa shook his head, "I love you, Hajime. Don't push me away."

"Tōru," Iwaizumi felt a little surprised by the words, but his heart pounded in response and his brain was yelling the same feeling, "I love you too," Oikawa smiled brightly, he crossed the small space in the room and leaned over to press a kiss to Iwaizumi's lips, his hands coming up to hold Iwaizumi's face; Iwaizumi grasped at Oikawa's left hand, his eyes closing with the sensation of the kiss deepening. Oikawa climbed onto the bed, pushing Iwaizumi down so he was straddling Iwaizumi's thighs; Iwaizumi let his hands wander again, sliding easily under Oikawa's shirt. Oikawa's hands seemed to mirror the movement and Iwaizumi's breath hitched in his throat; the kiss broke to allow for Iwaizumi to throw aside Oikawa's shirt, his own joining too. For a second, Iwaizumi's hands lingered at Oikawa's waist, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's unfair to tease me, Iwa-chan." Iwaizumi nodded his head, he pulled Oikawa in for another kiss and spent a moment just running his hands over Oikawa's flesh, his fingers brushing gently over Oikawa's nipples; Oikawa gasped softly against Iwaizumi's lips, the rest of his body also reacting in kind to the touch. Iwaizumi's hands slid down again, pausing before slowly, his fingers trailed the outline of the bulge in Oikawa's pants; he cupped the hardness of Oikawa's length and Oikawa broke the kiss with a gasp.

Iwaizumi smirked, feeling a new confidence from Oikawa's confession and his beautiful reactions to his touches; he made quick work of undoing Oikawa's pants, slowly sliding a hand beneath the fabric. Oikawa's cock was hot to the touch and it made Iwaizumi release a deep breath; he curled his fingers around the length, gently working his hand in a smooth motion, the way he would normally jerk himself off. Oikawa moaned at the feeling, his fingers gripping into Iwaizumi's sides; he closed his eyes tightly for a moment and when he settled into the feeling, they opened.

Oikawa's hands made quick work of Iwaizumi's pants too. He grasped Iwaizumi's cock, slowly jerking the length, Iwaizumi grunted and Oikawa's eyes flickered up, watching how the pleasure spread over Iwaizumi's face; his usual stern look had dissolved into something Oikawa could only describe as perfection. His jaw was slack, his eyebrows raised and his eyes resting shut. The sight only made Oikawa's noises grow louder; it pleased him to know that he could make Iwaizumi react this way, their hands settled into a similar rhythm, working each other almost into a quivering mess. Oikawa shifted and Iwaizumi eyed him curiously, "Hold on," He jumped up to shed of his pants and boxers, Iwaizumi caught on and quickly shook off his own, kicking them to the floor; Oikawa stood there staring, Iwaizumi felt a blush creep up onto his cheeks and he shifted, a little uncomfortable, "Don't worry. You're beautiful, Iwa-chan."

"Y...You too," Oikawa grinned, he returned to his previous position; Iwaizumi's hand returned to Oikawa's cock, he tugged just to hear Oikawa gasp, half spluttering at the sensation. The confidence returned and it felt more comfortable to be naked with Oikawa like this; their touches grew in intensity, Iwaizumi's free hand rising up to Oikawa's chest, where he teased a nipple with his thumb. Oikawa's head dipped, his grip tightened slightly and each time he reached the tip, he thumbed the head generously; their movements became easier, slick with pre-cum. Oikawa seemed to drink in every gasp and groan that Iwaizumi made, and his pace quickened, "Oi--Ah, Tōru."

Oikawa could feel it too; the warmth pooling in his stomach, the tightening that threatened the end of this moment, though a wonderful end it would be. Oikawa pressed their foreheads together, as they brought each other to release; Iwaizumi grunted and bucked against Oikawa's hand. Oikawa had to grip onto Iwaizumi's shoulder with his free hand, he couldn't keep a lid on the groan that spilled from his lips as he came; they collapsed together, both now a panting mess. Iwaizumi sighed and pressed a kiss to Oikawa's temple, receiving a soft hum in response; Oikawa moved, looking down at the mess they'd created, "Ew. We need to shower."

"Yeah," Iwaizumi had almost chuckled at the face Oikawa was making, he was right, they were a mess; they moved and headed to the bathroom together, neither one minding to share the shower. It did help to save on water too. Iwaizumi took the chance to wash Oikawa's hair, letting his hands run through the curls, "I enjoy seeing you like this."

"Hmm? Then we'll have to make a habit of it, Iwa-chan!" Iwaizumi shook his head; he pressed a kiss to Oikawa's lips and they smiled softly at each other. After showering thoroughly, they both got dressed into pyjamas for the night; while Oikawa went for a full set, Iwaizumi settled just for the pyjama pants. Their clothes from the day got unceremoniously dumped into the laundry basket and then they snuggled up on the couch together, finding a rerun on tv to watch before bed, "Hey, Iwa-chan?" Iwaizumi looked to Oikawa, humming softly in response, "Can we share a bed tonight?"

"Sure. I'd like that." He smiled and they shared a soft kiss. The joy between them felt completely untouchable.


	9. you are the reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi and Oikawa make the most of their time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from the song of the same name :)

Since their intimate night together, Oikawa and Iwaizumi had only grown closer; second year had ended well and Iwaizumi had received an internship for a local company where he would be able to gain some experience while still studying. Oikawa's games had been going well too, Iwaizumi would catch them when he had a moment to spare between studying and work; they also fit in at least one day during the week, where they could go out together.

Oikawa seemed to be pushing Iwaizumi's restraint a little too. There were times when, after a date, they'd get home and Oikawa wouldn't waste a second before pulling Iwaizumi into a mind-blowing kiss; Iwaizumi had found himself pressed up against the wall, far too many times, it took a lot of his will to not drag Oikawa to the bedroom. He wondered if Oikawa was pushing his buttons on purpose. Some of Iwaizumi's shifts had been long and tiring; then he'd get home to Oikawa, who looked a little like a petulant child who'd lost their favourite toy. Iwaizumi had found himself striding over to Oikawa and pulling him into a heavy kiss. The night had progressed from there; when Iwaizumi had been trying to rid the taste from his mouth, Oikawa sat there smirking. Iwaizumi knew it had all been an act, but he didn't mind it and had kissed Oikawa, in an effort to hide that look.

Iwaizumi wasn't entirely sure how he held himself back. They stuck to touching, and Oikawa's hands always drove him insane; when Oikawa had sunk to his knees, reached out nervously and soon found a way to make Iwaizumi come undone far too quickly, he was sure he'd died. He was ready to crack.

The sound of the door opening ruined his daydream, Iwaizumi turned his head and watched as Oikawa kicked off his shoes, soon joining him on the couch. His hand came up automatically, to brush his fingers through soft curls, "Welcome home."

"Thanks," Oikawa smiled softly, he cuddled into Iwaizumi and pressed a kiss against his neck. Iwaizumi squirmed away from the touch, his fingers knotted into Oikawa's hair; he sighed when Oikawa kissed his neck again, "That doesn't hurt me, Iwa-chan," Something about the way Oikawa said that nickname sent a chill down Iwaizumi's spine, the breath against his neck made his grip grow tighter. Oikawa's breath hitched, the sound only made Iwaizumi grow harder; then, Oikawa placed a hand on his thigh, running slowly up towards Iwaizumi's crotch and then down. The motion repeated and Iwaizumi had to bite his lip, before he responded with a groan; Oikawa's kisses moved across Iwaizumi's neck, he spoke up again when his lips reached Iwaizumi's throat, "I'm not fragile, Iwa-chan."

Iwaizumi moved, quickly pushing himself off the sofa, he grasped Oikawa by the thighs, "Hold on." Oikawa's arms wrapped around Iwaizumi's neck, letting out a soft squeak when Iwaizumi hiked him up; he wrapped his legs around Iwaizumi's waist as an anchor, but he didn't feel like he needed it, Iwaizumi felt more than strong enough to hold his weight. The trek to Iwaizumi's bedroom didn't take long and when Oikawa hit the mattress, Iwaizumi was over him in an instant; Oikawa pulled Iwaizumi into a kiss, sighing when Iwaizumi's hands ran up his thighs. Iwaizumi freed them of their clothes between kisses and hot touches against warm flesh; Oikawa laid against the mattress, squirming and moaning, a noise that shot straight to Iwaizumi's cock.

He wrapped his hand around Oikawa's length, stroking slowly; Oikawa gasped, he groaned and squirmed, his kneed coming up so he could wrap his legs around Iwaizumi's waist. Iwaizumi sat back, watching Oikawa's face, he was looking back, he almost looked a little lost and confused; his hands came up to Iwaizumi's shoulders and he squeezed them, before Iwaizumi could process his thoughts, their positions soon switched. He found himself pinned to the bed by Oikawa, "Hajime, I won't break," He reached over, pulling lube and condoms from the side-table; Iwaizumi's heart shot into his throat, he wondered when Oikawa put them there. He pushed the bottle into Iwaizumi's hand, and tore a condom from the strip, throwing the rest to the floor; Iwaizumi's heart pounded when Oikawa ripped open the packet and rolled the condom down his length. Iwaizumi squirted some lube onto his fingers, letting the bottle fall to the bed; he pulled Oikawa down into a kiss, snaking his other hand down to Oikawa's ass.

Oikawa gasped, grasping Iwaizumi's arm when a finger circled his entrance, he took a deep breath, pressing his lips to Iwaizumi's again; Iwaizumi felt Oikawa relax against him, he continued to circle his finger over Oikawa's hole, the muscles relaxed with his touch and he pushed a finger in. He moved his finger slowly, feeling as Oikawa's muscles eased with the motion, he added a second; Oikawa tensed for a moment, relaxing again when Iwaizumi ran his hand through Oikawa's hair. He waited for Oikawa to ease into the added pressure; Oikawa slowly began rocking into the feeling, moaning softly as Iwaizumi's fingers moved inside him; Iwaizumi tried a third finger, almost stopping when Oikawa let out a shout, "N-No, don't stop," Iwaizumi continued, Oikawa's muscles accommodated easier to the change and he curled them into Oikawa, sighing when he groaned in response, "Ah, Iwa~"

His rocking became faster, his hips rutting against Iwaizumi's; the contact made Iwaizumi groan, Oikawa pushed himself up, perching on his knees as he reached to the bottle. He coated his hand in lube, quickly smoothing it over Iwaizumi's length, who shuddered at the feeling; then Oikawa shifted and Iwaizumi's fingers slid from him. He moved up, rising himself over Iwaizumi's cock which was still in his grip, "Idiot, let me," Iwaizumi brushed aside Oikawa's hand, holding himself still; Oikawa kept himself sturdy with his hands and sunk down, a soft hiss leaving his mouth at the initial contact, "Don't rush."

"I'm fine." Oikawa squeezed Iwaizumi's sides, Iwaizumi's other hand wrapped around Oikawa's length and he stroked slowly; Oikawa moaned softly, relaxing into the touch, he found himself easing down onto Iwaizumi's cock. He settled, pressed against Iwaizumi's thighs; Oikawa sighed in relief, it felt strange to have Iwaizumi fill him but the initial pain had faded into a barely-noticeable dull throb. He leaned forward slightly and then pushed back to create a small rocking motion; Iwaizumi grunted softly, he continued to move his hand along Oikawa's length, happy to see him comfortable.

Oikawa shifted forward further, rolling his hips so Iwaizumi's cock could slide in and out of him; the movement sent a shock through Iwaizumi's body, he had to close his eyes, his grip tightened a little and his pace grew quicker. Oikawa breathed out a moan, leaning forward a little more, his own eyes closed at the sensation; Iwaizumi moved his hips in time to Oikawa's, creating a steady rhythm that had them both groaning, breathing heavy.

Iwaizumi's hand matched the pace of their hips, he grabbed Oikawa's side with his other hand; warmth seemed to envelope them, Oikawa's lips found Iwaizumi's and their groans mixed in an open-mouthed kiss. The new sensation felt like a shock to each part of their bodies, like electricity short-circuiting; the pace quickened and Oikawa couldn't help but gasp, feeling his release bubbling, "I--Iwa--" A moan spilled from his mouth from the feeling of Iwaizumi bucking against him, "I-Iwa-chan, I never want this to end."

The statement made a blush bloom across Iwaizumi's face, but he felt the same, so he replied with a gentle bite to Oikawa's lip, muttering between them, "Dumbass." He could feel his own release pulling, his stomach felt like a kettle, almost at whistling point; they both grunted and groaned with each roll, every thrust. Iwaizumi's eyes clenched shut, he couldn't stop the buck of his hips as he came; Oikawa grasped at Iwaizumi's shoulders, rolling into the feeling and spilling moments later, urged forward by Iwaizumi's hand.

They rocked together, slowly settling down against each other; Oikawa shuddered at the feeling of Iwaizumi's cock sliding from him. They laid their, in the bliss of their after-glow, not at all caring about the mess; Iwaizumi's clean hand came up to run gently through Oikawa's curls, the ends wet from the sweat on his forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too," They kissed, soft and delicate, mouths and tongues moving slowly together; when they pulled back for breath, they smiled at each other, "We should shower. You're gross."

"You're worse," Oikawa playfully dropped a hand against Iwaizumi's chest; still, they didn't move. Iwaizumi sighed after what had felt like an eternity and he carefully moved to sit up, shifting Oikawa so he could lay on the mattress on his side; Iwaizumi stood and disposed of the filled condom, he returned to Oikawa and picked him up, bridal style, "How manly, my Iwa-chan."

"Shut up," But the light blush which dusted Iwaizumi's cheeks had Oikawa grinning; Iwaizumi shook his head and walked into the bathroom. He made sure Oikawa could stand comfortably and started the shower; once it was warm enough, he took Oikawa's hand and they clambered in together, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fantastic," Oikawa's bright smile melted any of Iwaizumi's worries and they settled into their usually showering routine; after finishing up and getting dried, they changed for the night, along with stripping Iwaizumi's bed and replacing the covers. They settled together, with Oikawa's head pressed softly against Iwaizumi's chest, "I like listening to your heartbeat."

"Why?"

"It reminds me that you're really here, that you love me."

"Of course, dumbass." Iwaizumi felt another blush creeping up his neck, he kept it at bay by distracting himself with slowly running his fingers through Oikawa's hair; that was his reminder and it was more than enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi can carry Oikawa, inspired by _[this post](https://dahliadenoire.tumblr.com/post/185730821933/he-lifts-so-he-can-carry-his-tol-bf-easily)_ on Tumblr.
> 
> ALSO!! Oikawa is a power-bottom, change my mind.


	10. tokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa and Iwaizumi head to Tokyo for a volleyball game, and Oikawa gets offered the chance of a lifetime.

As the Fall descended into Winter, they both became busier at work, and with second year nearing final semester, university seemed just as hectic; they spent late nights together, sometimes in a mess of limbs, sometimes cuddled on the couch with a shitty rerun or a film on the tv. Either way, they were happy to be with each other, and any spare moment during weekends was spent with them going out together; Oikawa had a few more matches that Iwaizumi got to watch and late-nights on Wednesday's for practices.

The usual Wednesday night drew to a close, Oikawa slumped into the bench in the changing room, only half-listening as the coach discussed the next match; he perked up when he heard the team they would be playing, "Tokyo University are one of the best teams, so you'll have to give it your all to win. I will be making sure that all your tutors are notified about the trip to Tokyo, the game is a Saturday so we'll have to leave at least a day early to get settled in." Oikawa couldn't wait to tell Iwaizumi, he hoped that they could go together, he loved having Iwaizumi there supporting him; their last practice match before going to Tokyo was also laid out and then the coach bade them goodnight. Oikawa quickly got changed, rushing out a goodbye to the team before he left, he just wanted to get home and talk about it with Iwaizumi; the entire train ride consisted of him bouncing his leg, constantly needing to stop himself from calling Iwaizumi.

Once Oikawa was free from the confines of the train, he ran home, bursting in through the door, breathing heaving; Iwaizumi looked over, brows raised at Oikawa's demeanour, "Did you miss me again?"

"We have a game in Tokyo!"

"When?"

"Next weekend, on Saturday. Do you think you'd be able to take the time off to come along? We're leaving on the Friday, out last practice game is going to be on Tuesday," Oikawa had regained enough composure to push off his shoes, he dumped his bag and coat then joined Iwaizumi on the couch, "And I always miss you."

"Yeah, I can have a look. I think it should be fine though, work won't be hard to cover either. They always have people on reserve at a time like this."

Oikawa nodded, he pressed a kiss to Iwaizumi's cheek and grinned, "I'll have to phone about my shift too. It'll be so fun! I know I'll be there for the game, but I think we'd have a moment to do something."

"Don't get too distracted, it's not like you when volleyball is involved."

"I know. But I always wanted to go to Tokyo with you, imagine how jealous Makki and Mattsun will be."

"You know they'll be happy for you."

"Yeah, I do. I'm happy for them too, they're doing well on their new team. I'm quite proud, even if that sounds weird, those two never relied on me the way you did."

"Who said I did?!"

"Iwa-chan, I'm only sat right here, there's no need to yell."

Iwaizumi scoffed, he wrapped his arms around Oikawa and pulled him into a soft kiss, "How did you know? I never said."

"Hmm? So I was right," Oikawa grinned and Iwaizumi frowned at him; Oikawa's grin dissolved into a soft smile and he spoke again, "When you said you didn't join the team at your university. I know you too well, you love volleyball almost as much as I do."

"You're right. I missed you, it didn't matter how good the setter is, or who it was...It wasn't you and I didn't feel like myself without you there, it never felt as good to hit a spike," Iwaizumi ran a hand through Oikawa's hair, gently threading his fingers through the strands, "It wasn't as fun. I got too attached to you, the way you'd always make it about yourself, _'Look at how great my set was Iwa-chan!'_ Disgusting."

"Hey!"

"But you were always right, it was always great, and you always worked hard to make it better."

"I wanted to be better than Tobio-chan, I needed to push myself, but even when we won, it wasn't enough to beat Shiratorizawa. Tobio-chan pulled it off though."

"Well, it isn't just him on the court, those third-years are pretty feisty," Iwaizumi couldn't like to Oikawa and say that Kageyama was bad, he had a natural talent, but Oikawa had honed his ability. To pull the team around him, to keep their heads held high, he always made the most of every player and he'd fought through everything to get there--the knee injury that had almost made him collapse, the threat of Kageyama's natural-talent as a setter. Karasuno had made Kageyama a better person, how to rely on a team rather than always standing alone; but Oikawa had already learned he couldn't do it by himself, he'd relied on Iwaizumi to pick him up, a team with the best people to lean on, and the team leaned on Oikawa when they needed him to be honest. Sometimes Iwaizumi remembered being that kid again, at the top of a tree, watching Oikawa plummet to the floor; how Oikawa had needed Iwaizumi then, just as much as he needed him right now, "Tōru, there might always be a setter greater than you, but there will _never_ be anyone exactly like you. You always know what to do on the court and you know what to say to keep us together. You always believed the best for us, you knew we could do it if we had the time. When I first saw your game with Ohu, I thought that Ushijima might have been right, that you just needed someone better than me to shine. But it wasn't that, you always did shine. All the years of us being together, I never knew that I'd been falling for you, not until we lost to Karasuno. You were the one holding me together and I didn't know you could do that after a game. I was always the one consoling you, but it was different when we'd gotten beat by Shiratorizowa, I didn't think you'd ever find a way to come back. But it was that moment when I knew I loved you. The Tōru who could be a big baby and look so ugly when he cried, and the one who kept me holding my head high, in a moment where it was hard for all of us. But that was our last chance, **my** last chance, to play more volleyball with you at Seijoh. And you were so strong, for all of us, _for me_."

"Hajime," Oikawa felt breathless, completely blown away by Iwaizumi's confession; Iwaizumi's hands cupped his cheeks, rubbing away tears that Oikawa hadn't even realised were there. He sniffled, smiling through the tears, because he wasn't sad at all. Knowing that Iwaizumi needed him, just as much as he needed Iwaizumi, made him beyond happy, "I've always loved you, I just never realised how much until I knew we were going to different universities. I wanted to stay with you, I wanted to play more volleyball together. I wanted to tell you how much I need you by my side," Oikawa leaned forward, closing the space between them, "I love you. I love you. I love you so much Hajime."

"I love you too, more than you'll ever realise, and I'll always need you," Iwaizumi pressed their lips together, still holding onto Oikawa's face. Oikawa gripped at Iwaizumi's shoulders, he still felt a little overwhelmed even as Iwaizumi's thumbs rubbed over his cheeks; he calmed down in the embrace, feeling the love radiate from Iwaizumi made Oikawa's head spin a little. When they pulled away from breath, Iwaizumi smiled, tracing a line along Oikawa's cheek, "Don't cry."

"I was just so happy. I've never heard you say anything like that before."

"Only for you." Oikawa smiled, he held Iwaizumi's hand and they kissed again; both thinking about what their future held.

* * *

The week passed by quickly, Iwaizumi got ahead on his work and was granted the day off by his tutor, his boss found cover for Iwaizumi over that weekend and he felt excited to be going away with Oikawa; he knew this was bound to be a big game for Oikawa, Tokyo university was renowned for having a great volleyball team. Iwaizumi had a feeling that it was going to be something special; tougher teams always brought out the best in Oikawa, and while they'd never defeated Shiratorizowa, Oikawa always seemed to find a way to push at that barrier. Now, he'd definitely came into his own, his shone brighter than what Iwaizumi could remember.

Oikawa was over-prepared for the trip and Iwaizumi wasn't surprised in the least, he could see the excitement bleeding from Oikawa, which only seemed to be worse on Thursday night, "Shittyawa, can you sit still?"

"No, I'm too excited. I wish I could be calm like you."

Iwaizumi almost scoffed, because he didn't feel calm at all, he was nervous for Oikawa; ever since Oikawa had mentioned that there would be talent scouts at the game, recruiting for the national team. Iwaizumi knew that they were there just to see what the older students were like, but he'd seen Oikawa's talent grow and he'd hoped they'd notice him, even as just a foot-note, "I couldn't imagine that. It would be weird."

"I might change. I've heard that certain couples learn each other's traits."

"Why would I want that?" Oikawa puffed out his cheeks and folded his arms over his chest, "We're fine as we are. And, I already said, I never want you to change."

"Fine, just for Iwa-chan, I'll stay the same."

Iwaizumi shook his head, he grabbed Oikawa by the chin, "Dumbass," He pulled him forward into a kiss; a squeak died on Oikawa's lips, silenced by Iwaizumi's. When they pulled away, Iwaizumi ran his thumb over Oikawa's bottom lip, and smiled, "You'll kick ass tomorrow, I believe in you."

"Thanks Iwa-chan. We should get some rest." Oikawa said that, then leaned in to capture Iwaizumi's lips, his hands reaching out to slide up Iwaizumi's thighs. Iwaizumi muttered, Oikawa barely heard the words, half blocked by the kiss and Iwaizumi's soft voice; but he'd heard it a million times before anyway... _Dumbass, Shittykawa_. It made his heart flutter, because he knew the honesty behind those words, to anyone else it was an insult, but Oikawa knew better now; to him they meant so much more, and the softness held no malice. It was almost like Iwaizumi had whispered: _I love you._

* * *

The trip to Tokyo had Oikawa rather restless in his seat, with Iwaizumi beside him, keeping him grounded; if by yelling or literally holding him in place. Their arrival at the gymnasium turned Oikawa rather serious and Iwaizumi found it funny how quickly he could slip into his serious mode. The gymnasium was definitely big enough, so the Ohu team were given some room to practice and Iwaizumi watched from the side-lines, sat besides the coach and the manager; Iwaizumi had already learned that the team around Oikawa were great, their captain was similar to Oikawa, in the way he directed the team and held them together. Iwaizumi thought it was fitting.

After practising for a while, the team took a moment to rest in their changing room and went over some tactics for the game ahead; they were given a few hours to relax before the game started, and as soon as Oikawa changed, he took Iwaizumi by the hand and dragged him outside. Iwaizumi almost stumbled over his own feet, he pulled Oikawa under his arm and grumbled, "So impatient."

"We only have a couple of hours, I want to explore with you." Oikawa grinned and Iwaizumi couldn't stop his lips from curling into a smile; they went to a near-by mall and had a look around, Oikawa dragged Iwaizumi into a photo-booth and they took some pictures together. Oikawa pushed Iwaizumi into smiling for some of them and ended up getting smothered by a kiss from a red-faced Iwaizumi; after Oikawa tucked them safely into one of Iwaizumi's pockets, they grabbed some food and took a scenic walk around a park before returning to the gymnasium.

Iwaizumi pecked Oikawa's lips with a soft, _good luck_ , it was more than enough to have Oikawa's heart soaring, nodding before vanishing into the changing room; Iwaizumi found a front-row seat, where he could easily catch Oikawa's eyes as he cheered him on. Sometimes it felt strange not to be out on the court with Oikawa, but it felt comforting knowing that he could provide support for Oikawa through the game.

More people began to filter in, and the two teams warmed up before the referee called for the line-up. Iwaizumi watched with intent, half on baited-breath; Ohu dropped the first set at twenty-two to twenty-five, he saw the determination on Oikawa's face and the rest of the team seemed just the same. Oikawa started the second set with one of his killer serves and Iwaizumi found himself holding his breath, remembering how good it felt to have that rushing past his head; the Ohu team seemed to flourish around that serve, taking the second set at a comfortable twenty-five to twenty. The third set made Iwaizumi a little nervous, as the Tokyo team came back with a vengeance and took a comfortable, four-point lead; Oikawa's serves never let up, and it pressured the game into an even score. The score stayed nail-bitingly close, until Ohu broke free and finally won at thirty to twenty-nine; Oikawa sent a smile up to Iwaizumi, raising his hand to give a thumbs up and Iwaizumi nodded in return.

The teams lined up again and said their thank you's before disappearing to the changing rooms; Iwaizumi collapsed into his seat, letting out a breath of relief, for a second it had felt like one of _their_ games, waiting for the ball to drop. Maybe, in a different sense, it was one that both Iwaizumi and Oikawa shared.

* * *

Oikawa barely listened as the coach congratulated them on the victory, making an announcement for their next practice, he wanted to flee from the room to be with Iwaizumi and celebrate in style; just as the coach finished up and Oikawa let out a breath, the door opened and he blinked in surprise at the two men stood there, "Hello, we were hoping to speak with the team before you leave."

"They're all yours."

The coach nodded and Oikawa had to stop himself from letting out a groan of frustration, the men introduced themselves as Moari and Hikado, scouts for the national team; Oikawa still only half-listened to them as they droned on about the game, until Hikado caught his attention, "You're the setter, correct?"

"Yes. My name is Oikawa Tōru, I'm in my second year."

"That's perfect, we would like you to try-out for the team and a year gives you even more time to improve. Once you're finished with university, we would love you to return to Tokyo and meet with us, we will leave our details with the coach and make note of you. Your serve is very impressive too, we believe you would be a great addition to the team. If you would consider going professional."

Oikawa felt a little speechless, he hadn't even expected to be noticed, some of the third years on the team had proved themselves during the match too and he felt like they were more deserving; still, it was a great chance for him and he found himself smiling, "Thank you. I would love to return."

"Great. We will leave you all in peace now."

They bowed and the team returned the gesture, once they were gone, Oikawa could feel all eyes on him and he scurried to get changed, "Oikawa! This is great, you really deserve it." He turned at the sound of Inoue's voice, who was smiling brightly, he even saw Tsukuda nodding and Fuki gave him a thumbs up.

"Guys...Thank you so much."

"Don't be stupid," Katou patted his back, "Now you have to go tell your man the great news!"

Oikawa felt his joy dissolve away, a lump forming in his throat, "Iwa-chan has decided to take an extra year at university...If I leave for Tokyo, he won't be able to come with me. He'll want me to go."

"It's a great honour to be chosen, they think you could really be a good professional, you can't let that go. Iwaizumi will understand, you'll still only be a train-ride away."

Oikawa nodded, he still felt rather solemn, compared to a moment ago; he grabbed his bags and bade the team a goodnight, before heading out of the room to meet with Iwaizumi, who had a relaxed smile on his face, "Congratulations."

"Iwa-chan..." He took a deep breath and rose his head to meet Iwaizumi's eyes, "Those guys want me to go to Tokyo, once I graduate."

"That's great," Iwaizumi knew those words were true, and he felt happy for Oikawa, but Oikawa seemed concerned, Iwaizumi knew why; so he pulled Oikawa into a kiss and smiled as best as he could, "You know we'll be fine. I told you that I won't let you go. So you better not back out."

"Okay." Oikawa held Iwaizumi's hands in his own and squeezed gently, a small smile curling his lips; he knew that they were strong and their relationship had grown over their time together. So, the distance between them wouldn't become an issue.


	11. holding on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa prepares to leave.

The end of second year brought around an even more hectic year for Oikawa with his graduation approaching; the team had built up a good win-rate too and between lessons, Oikawa was still rushed off his feet with practice. Work was just as busy too and he hadn't really had much time to spend with Iwaizumi; only late nights after hours of studying, or practice, and Oikawa could finally curl into Iwaizumi's heat. Rough hands caressed through his hair and over his skin, he felt calm under Iwaizumi's touch, their voices were barely whispers in the dark, but the words still brought a prickle to Oikawa's skin, _I love everything about you._ Sometimes it drove Oikawa's mind into overdrive, because now he felt like a bad boyfriend, with them hardly spending time together; it wouldn't be long until he graduated, Iwaizumi would return to Katahira to live and Oikawa would go to Tokyo. He couldn't stop thinking about the three hour journey that would separate them; it wasn't much, he kept reminding himself with every thought, they could jump on a train to visit each other.

 _But when?_ The niggling doubt had made Oikawa feel like his body had turned to ice, he knew he was bound to be whisked off in a life filled with volleyball; they were boung to travel around the world. So then, what could he do about that? They hadn't really discussed what it would mean for Oikawa to play volleyball at a professional level...A life he'd only seen in a dream, where he'd never expected it to be real.

When they had a moment, Oikawa curled in Iwaizumi's arms; faint light spilled into the room and embraced their forms like a blanket, and Oikawa spoke, "Will you still love me a thousand miles away?"

"Of course I will, don't be dumb."

"I'm serious Iwa-chan," A soft sigh left his lips and he closed his eyes for a moment, "If you're busy working hard at university and I'm half-way around the world, what will we do?"

"Nothing will change. Granted, I won't be able to hold you like this. But I'll love you forever Oikawa, I don't need to be right at your side to tell you that. We can video call, it wouldn't be the end of the world."

Oikawa hummed; he didn't feel so certain though, because Iwaizumi was his world and Oikawa was like the moon, he needed that gravity to revolve around. Like he always had, "Why does it feel like it is?" Iwaizumi held Oikawa closer, pressing soft kisses to his neck, as if reassuring him that he would always be there.

* * *

Oikawa never wanted to leave Iwaizumi, not even for a second and yet he was packing for Tokyo, his heart waving more with each thing he placed into his suitcase; he was certain about Tokyo, and playing for such a good team, achieving his dream of becoming a professional player. His door opened with a soft creak then strong arms draped over his shoulders, "You're wasting time."

"I want to go, but I don't want to leave you," Oikawa sighed, he held onto Iwaizumi's arms, squeezing softly, "I can't convince myself that this isn't a goodbye, it feels like I'm walking away from you. But I'm not and this isn't a goodbye..."

"We promised, Tōru. No letting go. Would you be happy if you did?"

"No, but I don't like leaving you behind."

"You're not. There isn't much longer until I graduate too, then we can be side-by-side. I might not walk onto that court with you, but you'll always have me," Iwaizum's hand settled over Oikawa's heart, smiling at the feel of the beat, "I'll be right here, okay?"

"Okay," Oikawa turned in Iwaizumi's arms, stealing a quick kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too. We'll see each other again, sooner than you think." Oikawa nodded, he felt afraid that if he spoke now, he'd break down; Iwaizumi pulled him closer, a reassurance that this wasn't goodbye, it was merely: _see you soon_.  
  


* * *

  
  
Oikawa slumped down at his PC, fresh out of the shower, just as it was booting up, a knock came at his door; he grumbled quietly to himself, he'd just wanted to call Iwaizumi. He went to answer to door, holding down a sigh as the person on the other side filled his view; Oikawa's heart instantly shot into his throat and his jaw dropped, "It's nice to see that you still look stupid."

"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa shook of his surprise and wrapped his arms quickly around Iwaizumi's neck, "What are you doing here? Don't you have classes?"

"I'm visiting, dumbass. No, not anymore. I applied for early graduation."

"What? I didn't even know that could be done."

"My grades are good enough for it," Iwaizumi smiled, he shook off Oikawa's embrace, hinting to his bag and suitcase, "Can I come in?" Oikawa nodded, moving aside so Iwaizumi had the room to walk past, he shut the door and followed behind Iwaizumi into the lounge, "It looks better than the pictures."

"Thanks. Hey, Iwa-chan?" Iwaizumi turned around, having found the space to leave his things, "Is this really a visit? That looks like a lot."

"It's not a visit if you want me to stay."

"Of course I do!" Oikawa grinned, he jumped into Iwaizumi's arms, ignoring the soft protest from Iwaizumi; because he knew Iwaizumi could hold his weight easily.

"Shittykawa, you're so heavy," Iwaizumi tipped his head up, pressing a kiss to Oikawa's lips. Oikawa indulged in the contact, having missed it for far too long; he was painfully aware of Iwaizumi moving through the apartment, but he still gasped when he was dropped onto his bed, "I actually really missed you. What have you done to me?"

"Obviously I put a spell on you."

"It really feels like it," Iwaizumi crawled over Oikawa, "But I don't mind. Tōru, I love you."

"Hajime," Oikawa sighed happily, cupping Iwaizumi's cheek, "I love you too," He pulled Iwaizumi into a kiss; their hands wandered while their mouths worked together, Oikawa gasped into the kiss when Iwaizumi squeezed his ass. He took a breath, running his thumb over Iwaizumi's skin, "I missed you...I want you."

Iwaizumi hummed, he made quick work of Oikawa's clothes and smirked when Oikawa returned the gesture, he then splayed out on the mattress, enticing Iwaizumi down to leave a trail of kisses over Oikawa's torso, "Do you have lube and condoms?"

"No. Do you?" Iwaizumi shook his head and Oikawa whined; Iwaizumi ran his hands along Oikawa's thighs, hiking him up at the waist, "Iwa-chan?"

"Stay still." Iwaizumi's kissed trailed further down Oikawa's torso, flittering softly over his waist and down his groin; Oikawa's head tipped back, Iwaizumi's hands held him firmly in place, soft kisses feeling like shocks of electricity through Oikawa's body, the closer they inched to his cock. But Iwaizumi seemed certain on a different goal and they trailed further south, making Oikawa's breath hitch at the thought; Iwaizumi slid his hands to Oikawa's ass, raising him further from the bed, slowly he trailed kisses to Oikawa's hole, softly pressing his tongue against the ring of muscles. Oikawa gasped, his hands fisted the sheets, curling the fabric around his knuckles, Iwaizumi's tongue pressed again and his eyes slid closed, relaxing into the feeling; Iwaizumi rubbed his tongue over the muscles, feeling them slowly give way to the pressure, his fingers sunk into Oikawas flesh as he worked away, feeling Oikawa relax into it.

Oikawa's breathing became heavy, his face felt warm as Iwaizumi's tongue slid into him, he couldn't help but gasp and groan at the sensation; one of Iwaizumi's fingers joined his tongue, working the muscles loose easier and judging by Oikawa's noises, Iwaizumi knew he was enjoying it. He slid another finger in too, eased along by his saliva and Oikawa's relaxed state; Iwaizumi pulled his head back, focusing on leaving kisses along Oikawa's cock as the muscles gave way to his fingers, "I-Iwa, Iwa-chan. Please."

"Needy brat," Iwaizumi muttered, but let his fingers slide from Oikawa; he rose his hand to spit in it, but a soft touch as his wrist stopped him, he stared at Oikawa as the older boy quickly moved, delving down to close his lips around his cock. Iwaizumi couldn't help but gasp at the contact, Oikawa's cheeks hollowed as he bobbed his head, letting his saliva thoroughly coat Iwaizumi's length; Oikawa pulled back just as quick, working his hand over the length to spread his saliva, then he was lying down again, hooking his legs around Iwaizumi's waist. Iwaizumi felt a little breathless by Oikawa's movements, he hiked up his hips and held himself steady, slowly pressing the head to Oikawa's hole; Oikawa's eyes closed and he bit his lip, knowing that it would feel good enough soon, he thought about the way Iwaizumi had fucked him in the past, and sighed as Iwaizumi's length breached him.

Iwaizumi bit out a curse, his grip on Oikawa's hips tightening at the sensation, all the times they'd done this, they'd used a condom and it felt good, mind-blowing so, to have nothing between them. He soon settled, running a hand up Oikawa's side, receiving a sigh in response, "I love you." Iwaizumi repeated softly, squeezing Oikawa's hip.

"I love you too." Oikawa sighed in return; Iwaizumi rolled his hips, thrusting slowly into Oikawa. They both groaned at the sensation, he built up a steady pace and Oikawa had to refrain from squirming against the sheets; instead, he gripped at the sheets again, throwing his head back. Iwaizumi dipped down, pressing a kiss to Oikawa's exposed neck; he soaked in each gasp and groan Oikawa made, increasing the pace of his thrusts just to hear more.

Oikawa reached out with one hand, burying his fingers into Iwaizumi's hair, he grasped at the short strands, rolling his own hips into Iwaizumi's thrusts; Iwaizumi grunted against Oikawa's neck, softly biting at the skin. Oikawa gasped, pressing his fingers against Iwaizumi's skull; he pulled Iwaizumi closer, his legs still hooked perfectly around his waist; Iwaizumi reached up to tilt Oikawa's head toward him, pressing their lips together in a hot kiss, filled with breathy groans.

Their pace quickened and Iwaizumi's hand that was resting against Oikawa's hip, trailed along his waist, his fingers curling around Oikawa's cock; he stroked the length in time with the movements of their hips, bringing his other hand back down to hold himself steady. Oikawa gently bit Iwaizumi's bottom lip, pulling softly just to hear Iwaizumi groan, deep from the back of his throat; it sent a shiver down Oikawa's spine, and he arched off the bed, shifting their position slightly so Iwaizumi's cock pressed against his prostate, making him gasp, groaning loudly, "So noisy." Iwaizumi muttered against Oikawa's skin, he couldn't help but grunt at the change, his hips rutting against Oikawa's.

Oikawa could feel the heat pooling in his stomach, the pull of release urged forward by Iwaizumi's hand; Iwaizumi could feel it too, he closed his eyes as their hips rolled together, jerking Oikawa's cock quicker. Oikawa let out a soft squeak, "Hajime-chan..." The sound of his name, barely a breath from Oikawa's mouth, only sent Iwaizumi's brain crashing, his hips bucked and Oikawa groaned, spilling over Iwaizumi's hand and onto his stomach; Iwaizumi followed moments after, grasping onto Oikawa as he spilled into him with a stuttered grunt.

Slowly, they relaxed together and Iwaizumi pulled away from Oikawa, their breathing was heavy, Iwaizumi pressed soft kisses over Oikawa's cheek, "I think the bed might need changing."

"Probably," Oikawa sighed, a soft laugh leaving his lips, Iwaizumi grinned at him, "I only just showered too...And we're filthy, we should clean." With a nod from Iwaizumi, they pried themselves from the bed and headed into the bathroom; Iwaizumi felt glad to be running his hands through Oikawa's hair again, washing it in the way he always would. Oikawa was smiling still, soft and lethargic. It made Iwaizumi feel calm and they kissed under the spray of the shower, his fingers still tangled in Oikawa's hair; after their shower, they got comfortable for the night and Oikawa helped Iwaizumi unpack some of his clothes, placing them into the dresser, an empty drawer that Iwaizumi felt like already belonged to him before he even put anything away. But Oikawa never said anything and Iwaizumi felt like the peaceful moment between them would only be ruined if he began teasing Oikawa; he didn't mind running his hands over Oikawa's shoulders, almost distracting him from changing the sheets.

When they finally settled into the mattress together, Oikawa yawned, relaxing his head in the crook of Iwaizumi's neck; Iwaizumi could feel the words biting, _you're so clingy_ , but they didn't come, dying on his tongue as he watched Oikawa's relaxed state. Instead, he held Oikawa closer and pressed a kiss to his head; it had felt a little bittersweet when Oikawa had left for Tokyo, because Iwaizumi wanted to watch Oikawa propel forward, even if it meant Oikawa moving away from him. Being back together like this felt right, like it had always meant to be; Iwaizumi wouldn't change a second of it.


	12. (epilogue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa's and Iwaizumi's future grows brighter.

The years slipped by in a blink of an eye. A whistle blew loudly, teams exchanged their thank yous; Oikawa's breathing was deep as he bowed to the opponent, sweat glistening on his face. The battle had been hard fought, but they'd won and once the team captain had took his place on the podium, roaring cheers almost deafened him. The medal dropped around his neck, heavy and real. Before Oikawa could run and share his joy, his captain dragged him into the team photograph, and he couldn't stop smiling anyway, so it came easily; then the coach bade them a good day. Oikawa fled, running through the halls and bumping into his desired target, "Iwa-chan! I did it!"

"I knew you could," Iwaizumi smiled, he wrapped his arms around Oikawa and kissed his cheek, "I got you a gift, as congratulations."

"What if we would have lost?"

"It doesn't matter, you didn't and I had faith," Iwaizumi pulled back, digging into his pocket, "Just, don't say anything stupid," Oikawa's brows rose, then his jaw dropped when he saw Iwaizumi thumbing a box in his hand; he sunk to one knee and opened it, dazzling Oikawa with a beautiful silver band, "Will you marry me?"

"Hajime-chan! Of course I will."

He sunk to Iwaizumi, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck, barely listening to the grumbling Iwaizumi made, "Dumbass, I need to put it on you," Oikawa pulled back, holding his breath when Iwaizumi took his hand and slid the ring onto his finger, "Don't lose it, I won't get you another one."

"As if I would. I'll always cherish this. I love you Hajime."

"I love you too, dumbass Tōru," Oikawa pouted and Iwaizumi leaned forward to peck his lips, "I'll always cherish you. Remember, you didn't want me to change."

"No," Oikawa smiled, holding his hand to his chest, "Because you might **say** dumbass, but I never hear that, I hear everything else you've ever said to me. How you'll always need me," Iwaizumi felt a flush rise to his face and he stood, pulling Oikawa to his feet too, "Now you want to marry me, you're stuck with me forever."

"As if I'd want it any other way." Oikawa kissed Iwaizumi this time, holding onto his arms like it grounded everything; the ring felt natural on his finger too, like it had always meant to be there. The gold medal around his neck was a reminder too, of everything to come. Their life was heading further forward and they both looked to the future they were going to share together, the happiness between them lighting the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End :)


End file.
